The Seventh Year
by l'Amie de l'ABC
Summary: Lily's Seventh year at Hogwarts. T because I'm paranoid. Please read it! And Reviews are greatly appreciated! Summary sucks sorry. Now Complete!
1. Hogwarts Letters and Diagon Alley

**Disclaimer: I am not brilliantly talented like our queen J.K Rowling, so I don't own Harry Potter... :(**

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><p>"Lily!" my mum's voice floated up the stairs. "There's an owl here for you!"<p>

I jumped off my bed and glanced at my room, which I had been decorating with Gryffindor banners and pictures from my years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

I hurried down the stairs and into the kitchen. My dad was sitting at the table reading the newspaper and drinking his morning coffee, my mum was at the stove, cooking eggs, and Petunia was sitting at the table, switching her glares between me and the owl that was on the windowsill, a letter clutched in its beak.

"Morning love," my father said from behind his paper. My mum placed four plates on the table and smiled at me, and Petunia glared.

I crossed to the window where a large tawny owl was sitting. I removed the letter, and placed a Sickle in the pouch on its foot.

"Hogwarts letter?" my mum asked as she spooned some eggs onto my plate.

"Yeah," I said, recognizing the familiar wax crest that I had seen for the past seven years. This time the letter felt heavier than usual though. I expected it to be my new Prefect's badge. I opened the envelope and dumped the contents on the table. With the usual list of new books and equipment another letter fell out, along with something heavy.

I picked up the badge that had fallen onto the table without looking at it and turned my attention to the list of supplies. Once I had gone over all the course books and other things I would need, I looked at the second letter.

_Dear Miss Evans,_

_We are pleased to inform you that due to your respective grades and leadership qualities, you have been chosen for this year's Head Girl. As Head Girl you have authority over Prefects, the power to deduct House Points, and a list of the passwords to all of the House Common Rooms. You will address the Prefects in the Prefect's compartment of the Hogwarts Express. In addition, you and the Head Boy will have your own Common Room and dormitories. On the following sheet of paper is the list of all the Passwords, and the location of the Head's dormitories. Congratulations and remember that you are not to take advantage of the Head's privileges. _

_Albus Dumbledore_

_Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot _

I turned the badge in my hand over, to reveal a scarlet _H _with a gold lion. It looked just like the Prefect's badges, except for the _H. _I couldn't believe I was head girl!

"What's that sweetheart?" my dad asked, putting down his paper and pulling the Hogwarts supplies list towards him.

"It's my Head Girl badge," I muttered. "I'm Head Girl!"

"Congratulations darling!" my father beamed at me. "That's fantastic!"

"Oh that's wonderful!" my mother hugged me. "We're so proud!"

"Congratulations freak," Petunia spat at me. "Guess that just means you're the freakiest of them all, if they made you Head Girl."

She stood up and whirled out of the kitchen, not even bothering to look back at us. Normally I would've been upset at Tuney's comment, but not even my sour sister could bring down my spirits.

I ate my breakfast before hurrying back upstairs and pulling out three pieces of parchment and a quill. I quickly wrote letters to my three best friends and dorm mates, before handing them to my silver owl, Artemis.

"Please take these to Alice, Mary, and Marlene," I said, handing her an owl treat. "And when you get back I'll be in Diagon Alley with them."

Luckily my birthday had been five months ago, so I was of age and free to do magic outside of school. I grabbed a purse, put some Muggle money, Wizarding money, my wand, and my Head Girl badge in it, and went downstairs.

"I'm going to Diagon Alley to get my school stuff!" I called to my parents who were still sitting in the kitchen. "I'll be back later!"

"Alright!" my dad called. "Have fun!"

I closed the door behind me and pulled my wand out of my bag. Normally I would put it in my back pocket, but some my shorts were a bit short, and my yellow shirt didn't exactly provide anywhere to keep it. I flung it out in front of me and in an instant a brilliantly purple bus appeared in front of me.

"Welcome to the Knight Bus, I'm Ernie Wemkins and I'll be your conductor today," a gangly teenager with blonde hair and freckles opened the door and I stepped in the bus. "Where you headed today lovely?"

"The Leaky Cauldron please." I said, taking a seat and holding on as the bus popped onto Charing Cross road and careened to a stop in front of an old pub. I jumped off and paid Ernie before crossing the street to the pub.

"Thank you ma'am!" he called after me and I waved my hand in acknowledgment.

"Hello Miss Evans," the young bartender called from where he was serving someone at the bar. "Fancy a drink today?"

"No thanks Tom!" I said, waving at a few customers and smiling at Tom. "I'm picking up my Hogwarts stuff today."

"Alright!" Tom called. "Enjoy! It's rather lovely out today!"

I turned walked up to a wall and pulled out my wand before tapping it on a brick. The wall transformed into an archway, revealing the ever busy and colorful, Diagon Alley.

I grinned at the thought of going back for my final year at Hogwarts. My letter had come July 30th, so I had sent it back immediately. I crossed the street to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor and sat at a table.

"Lily!" Florean came out and greeted me with a smile and a hug. "How are you? Now, are you what I think you are?"

"Florean! I'm great, and if you mean Head Girl then yes!"

"Congratulations! You deserve it! Now, I suspect the girls will be joining you?"

"Yup, as usual. So can we have our usual sundaes?"

"Sure thing."

I thanked Florean as he disappeared into his store to get the ice cream. When I turned around I saw one of my best friends, Alice Fortescue, Florean's niece. Alice's short, dirty-blonde hair bounced as she ran over to me. She was short, just a little bit taller than myself, with big blue eyes and a round happy face.

"Lily!" She squealed as she hugged me. "I'm so excited to see you! It's been forever! What's the big surprise? Tell me please!"

"Alice! One question at a time! It's great to see you too! And it's only been about a month. I will tell you the surprise when the other's get here."

"Fine," she huffed. "So how's your summer been?"

"Mine was great," I said. "Yours?"

Alice was about to answer when another voice piped up. "Mine was fantastic thank you very much."

Alice and I turned to see another one of our friends, Mary Macdonald, walking over to us. Mary's shoulder length brown hair blew in the wind, and her brown eyes sparkled when she saw us.

"Hey Mary!" Alice called, and waved her down. "How are you? How was your summer? Well you already said it was good. But how was that trip to America? Did you like it? Did you meet any witches or wizards?"

"Alice!" I put my hand over Alice's mouth. "Calm down, for two seconds please!" I removed my hand and she giggled.

"Well to answer Alice's _many _questions," Mary grinned. "I'm great, America was awesome, yes I met some witches and wizards, and no they weren't nearly as awesome as us." She smiled and waved to someone else.

I turned to see our other friend and dorm mate, Marlene McKinnon, walking over. Marlene had long blonde hair, which she usually tied back in a ponytail for Quidditch. Her big hazel eyes always had a wild glint in them, and right now was no different. She swept her braided hair behind her and grinned.

"Now, what's this big surprise Lils?" she asked.

"I'm Head Girl!" I said. The other girls were excited.

"That's awesome Lily!" Alice squealed. "Now you get your own dorm room! Oh you'll have to visit us!"

"Well of course you are! Do you honestly think Dumbledore would've trusted any of _us _with the job?" Mary grinned.

"I wonder who Head Boy is?" Marlene winked at me. "There could be a change for some boyfriend action there." The girls always teased me because I never had a steady boyfriend.

It's not like I couldn't get one, with my long red waves and my green eyes. I was petite, one of the smaller girls in our year, but I was curvy. The problem was Potter. He had asked me out at lease four times a week since first year, and every time I went on a date with a different boy, he always got upset.

"I wouldn't mind if it was someone like Amos Diggory, that Hufflepuff," I said.

"He's gorgeous!" Alice agreed. "Or maybe it's Remus!"

"I wouldn't mind Remus," I said. "He's sweet, and shy, and knows how to study. I don't understand why he hangs around Potter and Black."

"Hey, who are we to argue the science of the male mind?" Marlene said. We spent the majority of the afternoon eating ice cream and discussing possibilities for the Head Boy.

We paid Florean and hurried off to get our school supplies. The first stop was Gringotts Wizarding Bank, to pick up Wizarding Gold. The great marble building was run by Goblins, and they cast us wary glances as we entered. On the front doors there was a plaque, I remembered reading it my first year

_Enter, stranger, but take heed_

_Of what awaits the sin of greed,_

_For those who take, but do not earn,_

_Must pay most dearly in their turn._

_So if you seek beneath our floors_

_A treasure that was never yours,_

_Thief, you have been warned, beware_

_Of finding more than treasure there._

I shuddered. Surely nobody would be foolish enough to attempt to break into Gringotts! It was suicidal.

We entered the marble building and waited for the nearest Goblin to be available. I stepped up to the desk and stood on my tiptoes to reach the top. I heard Marlene giggle and I turned to glare. I was the shortest out of all of us, and Marlene was the tallest.

"Name please," the Goblin growled.

"Lily Evans." I saw the other three girls step up to Goblins around the hall and begin the same process.

"Are you here to make a withdrawal?"

"Yes please."

"Follow me please."

The Goblin came around the front of the desk, just as Mary finished with her Goblin.

"Four to each cart please," her Goblin growled. Mary and I followed the two Goblins into one of the metal carts. As soon as we were seated one of the Goblins took hold of the wheel and the cart plunged downward on the track. The air was growing colder when we lurched to a stop in front of a vault.

"Vault 687," the Goblin hobbled out and slid a tiny golden key into the lock. I followed him and stepped inside the vault. I took some money, and put it in my bag, before stepping back into the cart, which took us to Mary's vault and then back to the lobby. Mary and I stood outside the bank, waiting while Marlene and Alice went to their vaults.

"Lily, Mary!" we turned around to see a girl in our year, a Ravenclaw, Dorcas Meadowes, rush up to us. She had cut her black hair since the school year, and now it was short and feathery.

"Doe!" Doe was our nickname for her. "How are you?" Mary gave her a hug.

"I'm good. And you?"

"Great," said Mary. I nodded my agreement.

"So Lily," she turned to me. "Everybody's best guess at the Head Girl is you, is it?"

"Yup!" I grinned. "It's me!"

"Fantastic congrats!" Dorcas gave me a hug.

"Thanks!" just then Alice and Marlene came out.

"Doe!" Alice ran forward and hugged Doe. "How are you? How's your summer been? Are you excited for seventh-year? Are you worried for N.E.W.T's? It's so good to see you!"

"Hey Alice!" Dorcas laughed. "I'm great, my summer's been good, I'm excited for seventh-year, and yeah maybe a little nervous for the N.E.W.T tests."

We said bye to Doe and moved on to Flourish and Blotts to get our schoolbooks.

"We need four of the standard Hogwarts seventh-year course books," Marlene told the man behind the counter. He nodded before disappearing into the back of the store to get our books and box them up.

"Lils, look at this!" Alice was calling me from somewhere in the store. I looked between the precarious stacks that were surely held up by magic, when I found her looking at a book with a bright red cover on it.

"What is it?" Marlene came up behind me.

"_New Hexes and Charms to Baffle Your Adversary,_" Alice said. "Lil I bet it could help with your Potter issue!"

"Hm," I grinned as I flipped through it. The thought of Potter faced with the Bat-Bogey Hex or a charm that inflated your head made me laugh.

I grabbed the book off the shelf as the man returned with our books. We paid and left the store, heading across the way to the Apothecary for our Potions ingredients. While we were in there I caught sight of Severus, my ex-best friend, looking at some frogeyes. He smiled at me but I glared and turned away.

"Marlene and I are gonna go to Eeylops, I need some treats for Artemis and Marlene is going to get an owl!" I called to Mary and Alice as they went into Madam Malkin's robes. They had both grown taller and needed new ones.

Eeylops Owl Emporium was a dark shop with owls hiding all over. Some were in cages and some were in the rafters. The old shopkeeper smiled as I placed a box of Artemis's favorite treats on the counter. He rang me up and I handed him three silver Sickles, before turning to where Marlene was standing with a beautiful tawny owl. She paid for him and put him in his cage where he promptly put his head under his wing and slept.

After the four of us had reunited and finished getting our things, we said goodbye, promising to get together before September 1st, when we would go back to Hogwarts.

I rode the Knight bus back home and went up to my room where I put all of my Hogwarts things in my trunk, for the last time.

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><p><strong>Hope you liked! Review please! I love it when I get reviews!<strong>


	2. Awkward Dinners and Sleeping Over

**Disclaimer: Before you ask, NO I don't own Harry Potter...**

"Mum!" I walked into the kitchen looking for her. "Alice, Marlene, and Mary are flooing here in fifteen minutes. We're all going to go to King's Cross together tomorrow."

"Alright," my mum said. "So I should cook for three extra?" I nodded. "And how are you guys going to get to King's Cross tomorrow?"

"The Knight bus," I said just as there was a noise from the living room. Hurrying in I saw Alice standing in the fireplace. She had somehow managed the art of flooing to perfection, and never got dirty when she used the Floo Network. She pulled her trunk into the living room and pointed her wand at it.

"_Locomotor trunk!_" she said and the trunk floated up the stairs and into my room. "Hey Lils! Ready for King's Cross for the last time?"

"No," I admitted. "I don't want this to be our last year!"

She grinned as Mary whisked into the fireplace, covered in soot. She had barely stumbled out and sent her trunk upstairs when Marlene spun in.

They pointed their wands at their clothes and muttered.

"_Tergeo," _both said as they siphoned the soot off their clothes.

"Dinner's ready!" my mum called from the kitchen. We went in and found Petunia already sitting there, glaring at the four of us. "Could you four set the table please?"

"I got it," I said. With a lazy flick of my wand plates flew out of cupboards and forks and knives soared onto the table. My mum smiled, she loved how easy magic was. Petunia was clearly trying to be disgusted, but there was a glimmer of fascination and jealousy in her glare.

"Dad will be home from his business trip late tonight, so it's just us girls for dinner," my mum smiled as she placed a salad and pot of stew in front of us.

"So," my mum tried to start a conversation. "Are you girls sad that this is your last year?"

"Yeah," Marlene said. "Hogwarts is more of a home then a school, I don't know what I'm gonna do knowing that this is going to be my last time riding in on the Hogwarts Express."

My mum nodded. "I understand. I know that Lily's come to think of it as more of her home than this place is."

I looked at my mum, shocked. I hadn't known that she'd figured that out. I felt bad, but it was the truth. "Well, I've spent the last seven years of my life there."

We ate the rest of the dinner in silence, apart from a few words here and there.

After we had all cleaned our dishes (using magic of course) the four of us hurried upstairs, bursting with giggles.

"Is your sister _always _like that?" Mary laughed as soon as we shut the door to my room. "Oh and nice decorations!"

"If you mean hates me and is jealous that I'm a witch then yes," I said as I started to throw my things into my school trunk. I always left packing until the last minute. "And thanks!"

"That was the funniest dinner ever!" Marlene said as she opened my drawer and threw a couple of bras at me.

"I know!" I giggled and summoned a couple socks from across the room. "_Accio socks! _Normally Petunia isn't that bad. She's just upset because there are four witches in the house and she hates magic."

"Damn right I do," Petunia sneered from the doorway. "It's abnormal and strange and freaky. That's all you three are. _Freaks_."

"Oh Petunia," I rolled my eyes. "Don't be such a prat."

"Don't think you and those _freaks_," she gestured to Alice, Mary, and Marlene, "are special. You're not natural! And you're in that school for our safety!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," I said rolling my eyes again. "I've heard it all before. Now what do you want?"

"Mum told me to come ask you girls if you needed anything washed for tomorrow."

"Yeah, I have a couple dirty robes, you guys?" The four of us pulled out robes and ties, skirts, blouses, and vests. I waved my wand at the pile and it disappeared, downstairs to the laundry room. Petunia looked positively disgusted.

"_Freaks._" She whirled out of the room and stomped downstairs.

"Good to know we have Muggles that are ok with Witches and Wizards!" Mary called to Petunia.

Oh I missed these girls, I would have to make sure that we all got together during the year, and I would definitely come visit the dorm that I had spent six years in.

"So," I settled on my bed while the other girls conjured sleeping bags and chairs to spend the night in.

"What?" Marlene asked.

"Well," I said. "I think that by the end of this year, we all have to have or have had boyfriends."

"Good plan," Mary grinned. "I'm going for Gilderoy, that Ravenclaw. He's so dreamy."

"Eww!" Marlene giggled. "I can't stand him! He's so ridiculous!"

"Well who are you gonna go for Marls?" Mary asked.

"Hm, maybe that Hufflepuff that's friends with Diggory, what's his name? Terrance Smith?"

"He's alright," Alice said. "But Frank Longbottom, their dorm mate, he's fantastic! I don't understand why he wasn't put in Gryffindor."

I rolled my eyes, they were all love struck. "Well I'm glad that you three have this all planned out."

"Well who are you gonna go for, the Head Boy?" Marlene turned to me. "Which reminds me, have you figured out who he is yet?"

"No," I said. "I just hope it isn't a _Slytherin. _Not that I have anything against some of them, but the ones in our year are awful."

The girls knew I was referring to Severus Snape, who was once my best friend. He lived in Spinner's End, not far from my house. We had always been tight, Sev and I, but when he had called me an unforgivable name, during our fifth year, I had severed ties with him. I hated him, though he always tried to apologize for what he said.

"That would be awful," Mary shuddered. "But I doubt Dumbledore will put any of them as Head Boy, they're just not suited for the job."

"Imagine if one of the Marauders was made Head Boy!" I burst into a fit of giggles.

"Well Remus wouldn't be that bad," Alice said. "But the others!"

We spent the rest of the night packing and laughing and preparing for our final year at Hogwarts.


	3. The Hogwarts Express and the Head Boy

"Alice! Mary! Lily!" I felt a pillow collide with my face and knew that Marlene was attempting to wake us all up. "Get up! We have two hours until the Express leaves and we're _not _going to be late!"

"Go back to sleep," Alice mumbled into her pillow.

"Ah!" Marlene shrieked before stomping into the bathroom down the hall.

"It's too early," I said as I stretched my arms and yawned. "I don't wanna get up."

"Get used to it," Mary grumbled as she started sorting through a pile of clean laundry that my mom had put in my room. "We have to get up earlier than this for classes."

"Depends on our timetables," Alice said. "Maybe if we're lucky we'll have a morning free period.

Marlene came back from showering and pulled out a gray skirt and white blouse.

"You're wearing your uniform to the school?" I asked as I started to leave to go shower.

"Yeah," Marlene said as she tied her red and gold tie around her neck. "I figured it would be fun to, as our last year."

"Alright," I said.

I walked down the hall and into the bathroom. I turned on the water and let it's warmth run over my skin and wake me up. Scrubbing shampoo into my hair, I thought about how fantastic this year was going to be. I was Head Girl, I had my own dorm, and by the end of the year I would hopefully have had a boyfriend.

I got out of the shower reluctantly and walked back to the bedroom with my hair wrapped up in a towel and another towel wrapped around my body.

"Alice your turn," Alice jumped up and ran out the door. "That girl has way too much energy," I said turning to the other girls. They nodded with grins on their faces.

"Lils toss me my bra would you?" Alice said ten minutes later as she hurried back in. I threw it at her and went back to brushing the tangles out of my red hair.

Mary hurried out the door and returned in another ten minutes. "Where's my tie?" she was digging through her trunk. "It was here a second ago, and now its gone!"

"Mary," Marlene threw her tie at her. "Relax."

"Yeah," I said. I straightened my gray pleated skirt and pulled a gray vest with a red and gold neckline over my head. Tightening my tie and tucking it under my vest, I pulled the skirt up a little so it came to just over my knees and tied my hair back. "How do I look?"

"Hot," Marlene said. "Just one more thing." She took my black flats and transfigured them into a pair of heels, before doing the same to all of ours. "Now we look even better." She pulled her red and gold knee-highs up and we all did the same.

"Come on, knowing the Knight bus, we might want to get there a bit early," Alice said as she magicked her trunk down the stairs.

I followed her, and Mary followed me, and Marlene brought up the rear.

"Bye Mrs. Evans!" Alice called. "Thanks for letting us stay!"

"Anytime girls!" my mum called. "And Lily, have a fantastic year, and write lots!"

"I will mum," I said. "Bye dad!" I called as I passed the living room.

"Lily hurry up!" Alice called. "I want to call the bus!"

I blew my parents kisses and hurried outside where the three girls were standing in line with their trunks. I joined them and Alice flung her wand out into the street. With a bang the purple bus appeared in front of us, and we climbed aboard, leaving Ernie to deal with our trunks.

"King's Cross," Marlene said, and handed him six Sickles for the four of us.

Nobody else was on the bus, so with another bang the bus appeared in downtown London.

I checked my watch, 10:30; we had half an hour until the train pulled out of the station. The Knight bus jerked to a stop in front of the station and we hurried off towards Platforms 9 and 10.

"Well come on then!" I laughed as I pulled on Marlene's arm and together we ran at the barrier. In the chaos that was King's Cross nobody noticed two teenage girls with trolleys and owls and trunks disappear straight into a wall.

Mary and Alice came through the barrier and we loaded everything in our compartment just as the warning whistle blew.

"Ready for our last year?" I asked.

"Maybe," Marlene grinned.

"Sorta," Alice said.

"Kinda," Mary smiled.

Half the train ride had passed when I put my robes on over my uniform and pinned my badge to my chest. I made my way down the aisle to the Prefect's carriage, still speculating about who the Head Boy could be.

I was the first one there, so I made sure I had the list of passwords and fixed my hair when I heard the door open. I turned around and saw Remus striding in, followed by Potter.

"Hi Remus!" I smiled.

"Hi Lily," he smiled back. "Congratulations on Head Girl!"

"Thanks! Oh and Potter, you're not supposed to be in here, it's Prefects and Heads only."

"Ah but Evans," he winked. "I am."

"Potter give that badge back to whomever you stole it from and get the hell out of this compartment!"

"Evans, Evans, Evans," James grinned wickedly. "I'm Head Boy, this is my badge."

I felt my heart skip a beat. It couldn't be. "You, you're-" I sank down into a chair.

"It came as a shock to all of us," Remus said comfortingly. "But I'm sure James will be a fine Head Boy."

I was about to retort when the Prefects started to come in. There were six of them for each house, plus the Heads of the school. I put on a false smile and sent Potter a glare that said "We'll deal with this later" before turning to address them.

"Hi guys!" I smiled at the eight new fifth-years and waved at some of the people I recognized. "I'm Lily Evans, the Head Girl-"

"And I'm James Potter, Head Boy."

"Right. So, there's not much except James and I will put up patrol schedules sometime this week and will notify you when they're ready. Also, don't take advantage of your ability to hand out detentions. The Gryffindor password is "Godric," the Ravenclaw password is "Diadem," the Slytherin password is "Chamber," and the Hufflepuff password is "Loyalty." You are free to go, but patrol the train regularly.

The Prefects smiled and left and all that was left was Potter, Remus and myself.

"Remus you can go, you don't have to stay for this," I said kindly.

"Oh no," he grinned a Marauder grin. "I'm not leaving you and James alone."

"Go on Remus," James said. "You don't want to be here when we start yelling."

Remus looked a bit reluctant to leave, as though he thought that James and I would start hexing each other the minute he closed the door, then again, we might.

"Potter, I don't know how we are going to work together for an entire year without killing each other, but lets get this clear," I stepped close to him so we were an inch apart. I wasn't nearly as tall as him; I only came up to his chin. "I will not go out with you. No. Matter. What."

"Evans," James's hazel eyes bored into my green ones. "If you knew how much I want to lean in and kiss you right now…"

"AH!" I screamed and stomped on his foot. I reeled away, "I HATE YOU POTTER!" I screeched before slamming the door behind me.

I stormed down to our compartment and slammed that door too before collapsing in a seat next to Marlene and burying my face in my hands.

"Well," Marlene said as she patted my back. "I take it you're not a fan of the Head Boy. Is it Snivellus?"

"No," I cried into my hands.

"Who is it?" Alice asked.

I wiped my eyes and looked up. "Potter."

All three of their mouths dropped open, making them resemble clownfish until Mary worked up the guts to speak.

"You're kidding," she said. "You're joking."

The look on my face must've convinced her otherwise.

"You're not joking."

I shook my head. "I have to live with him for an entire year."

"It'll be okay," Alice said. "I promise."

I grimaced. "I really hope so."

The train slowed to a stop in Hogsmeade station and we all got off. I heard the unmistakable cry of "Firs' years! Firs' years over here!"

"Hagrid!" I grinned up at the giant man.

"Lily!" he pulled me into a bone-crushing hug. "Congratulations on Head Girl! I hope ye'll to a better job of chasin' Potter and Black away from the fores' than the las' Head Girl an' Boy did!"

"I'll try!" I smiled and caught up with the other girls. We got into a carriage and I smiled at them. "Back to Hogwarts, for the last time."

We all smiled and laughed. This year would be great, no matter if Potter was Head Boy or not.


	4. Sorting Hat's Song and the Head's Tower

**Disclaimer: Despite the amount of times that it has been on my Christmas and Birthday list, I don't own the rights to Harry Potter.**

By the time the carriages pulled up to Hogwarts it was thundering out and pouring rain. Alice, Mary, Marlene and I jumped out of the carriage and sprinted up the steps to the castle. The entrance hall was soaked from all the students coming inside, and the four of us stopped to dry out our hair and clothes.

The Great Hall was already packed with students, and we quickly took spots at the Gryffindor table as the first-years filed in behind McGonagall, who was holding the Sorting Hat and a stool.

A hush settled over the Great Hall as McGonagall placed the Hat on the stool. A rip in its brim opened wide, like a mouth, and it began to sing its song.

_Back in the old ages_

_When I was but a hat,_

_There were four great friends,_

_Upon one's head I sat._

_The four friends shared a passion,_

_One to learn and teach,_

_And they founded our fair school_

_And made a House for each._

_Gryffindor was known_

_To take the brave into his house,_

_There was daring, nerve, and chivalry_

_In even the smallest mouse._

_Ravenclaw had eyes_

_For the ready minded,_

_Their wit and knowledge_

_Often had others blinded._

_Slytherin would take_

_The cunning and ambitious_

_He knew what he wanted_

_He was never capricious._

_Hufflepuff was kind_

_She'd take the rest,_

_Though loyal and hard working_

_Is what she liked best._

_The four friends soon realized_

_They wouldn't live forever,_

_They needed a way_

_To find the cunning from the clever._

_Twas Gryffindor that had a plan_

_And whipped me off his head,_

"_We'll let the hat decide,"_

_Is exactly what he said._

_So now I do the job_

_Of putting you where you belong,_

_So put me on your head,_

_I've never yet been wrong!_

The Great Hall exploded into applause as the Sorting Hat finished is song. Professor McGonagall unrolled a scroll with all the first-year's names on it and as the noise died down she called the first one in.

"Abbot, Joseph!" A small blonde boy shuffled forward to the stool.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" the table next to us applauded as Joseph hopped off the stool and went to join them.

The Sorting seemed to take forever. After five kids, two Ravenclaws, two Gryffindors, and a Slytherin, I started to zone out.

Alice nudged me as and nodded towards the little girl that was next in line. Her hair was rapidly changing from a shade of brown to red as her name was called.

"Tonks, Nymphadora!" the Sorting Hat slid over her now blue hair.

"She's a Metamorphmagus," Alice whispered in my ear. "She can change her appearance at will." I nodded.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" the little girl hopped off the stool and her hair turned from blue to bubblegum pink as she ran over to sit next to Joseph Abbot.

I started to stare into space again and was jolted into reality when Professor Dumbledore rose to begin his start-of-term speech.

"Welcome, new students, and welcome back, to our returning ones, for another year of learning at Hogwarts! Now a few start-of-term notices before we begin our wondrous feast. To our new students, the forest on the edge of grounds is forbidden, and some of our old students could do to remember that too. Mr. Filch has posted a list of banned items on his door, and has also asked that students refrain from kicking Mrs. Norris. And, this year, for fourth-years and over, we are holding a ball. It will be in November, and further notices relating to it shall be mentioned later. Now, tuck in!" He clapped and food appeared on the tables before us.

"No matter how many feast we've had, I will never get tired of this food," Marlene said as she loaded her plate with chicken, potatoes, and a million other things.

I laughed. "I don't know what I'm going to do once I'm living on my own. I'm not sure how I'm gonna be able to eat!"

When the feast was over I watched the Prefects start to lead the first-years to the common rooms, when I felt a hand tentatively tap my shoulder. I turned around and saw James, looking somewhat nervous, standing behind me.

"What do you want Potter?" I glared at him.

"Whoa Evans," he grinned and put his hands up. "No need to be so snippy. I was just wondering if you knew where we're supposed to go."

"No, I don't," I said, just as Professor McGonagall came up to the two of us.

"Evans, Potter," she said. "Follow me."

We followed Professor McGonagall up to the base of a tower that I never knew was there, probably because there was a large portrait of a witch in grey robes on it. She smiled congenially at me and looked at Potter skeptically.

"I am Lady Delia, I'm the guard of the Head's tower," she said. Professor McGonagall left us to get used to our new dorms and common room.

"Gryffindor," I told Delia the password. She smiled and swung forward, revealing a twisting staircase covered with red and gold hangings on the walls.

"Whoa," Potter breathed behind me.

We climbed up the spiral staircase, which finally came to a stop at a giant wooden door. I gently pushed the door open, revealing the common room. It had a large fireplace, with comfy chairs scattered all over the room. There was a bookcase, with books on every subject in the school; it was like having a library in the common room. The fire was already roaring, and Gryffindor hangings had been hung, scarlet with a gold lion.

I turned in a circle, admiring the room. There were two little seven-step staircases that led to doors, most likely our dormitories. I headed to the one on the right, where the girls dorms were in the Gryffindor tower. The door creaked as I pushed it open, and I caught my breath when I saw the dorm.

There was a window that looked out over the black lake, and my enormous four-poster bed was right next to it. The silky sheets were red and gold, with a large lion on the front. There was a wardrobe over on one wall, with a mirror that melted away at my touch. All of my things were already put away. There was another bookcase, with books more for enjoyment than for school.

I returned to the common room, and found Potter already sitting in one of the chairs by the fire. I had brought down a book "The Witch and the Muggle," and I opened it to the first page.

I didn't even realize I fell asleep until I woke up in the middle of the night. The fire was only a glowing pile of embers now, and I was curled up in a chair. I was sure that I didn't put a blanket on myself last night, but I didn't think about it. I shuffled over to my dormitory before collapsing in my four poster and falling asleep, the light of the almost full-moon falling over me.


	5. Potions Class and Midnight Conversations

**Disclaimer: Putting this disclaimer up here gets really annoying by the 5****th**** chapter…. But if I don't, then I might get sued, and that will make me sad. So here it is; I do not own Harry Potter.**

**A/N: I hope you guys like it so far! I'm really enjoying writing it, so I hope my enjoyment transfers onto the page! You KNOW you want to review it. It just takes one click of the blue words at the bottom of the page. And a little typing. You know you want to… just click it!**

I was aware that somebody was knocking on my door. I jolted awake, and it took me a second before I realized where I was. The Head's tower, classes were starting today, I had to get to breakfast!

"Evans!" Potter hammered on the door again. "Oi! Sleeping beauty, get up!"

I buttoned up my white blouse and straightened out my gray skirt. I opened the door and Potter was staring at me as I hurried out into the common room.

"Evans, relax!" he reached a hand to put on my shoulder but drew it back, thinking better of it. "We still have an hour until breakfast, but I know you girls usually take forever, so I woke you up."

"Oh," I smiled. "Well, er- thanks."

"No problem," he said, running his hand through his hair in a Potter fashion.

I went back to my dorm and started to get ready. For some reason I felt like I needed to impress Potter. I ran a brush through my red waves and pulled them back. After putting on my uniform and pinning my badge to my chest I went back outside to the common room. Potter was lounging in one of the chairs, and I glanced out the window. Rain was splattered on the window and it was still storming.

I sat across from him and buried my nose in my book again.

"So Evans," he said. I put down my book and looked at him, raising my eyebrows, encouraging him to go on. "You and the other girls always seem to 'alter' the dress code a little. Your skirts are never exactly knee length, you're always wearing little heels, and you unbutton your shirts by a few buttons. I could go on."

"Come on Potter," I said. "I thought you of all guys would understand why girls do that sort of things."

"Well honestly, I've never had a steady girlfriend. I'm still waiting for that special girl." He looked at me and I felt my cheeks flush.

"Why don't we go down to breakfast?" I said.

"Alright," he got up and we opened the door and descended the spiral staircase.

He pushed open the portrait of Lady Delia and let me out, before letting her seal the entrance.

"You know Evans," he grinned at me. "Maybe us living together won't be that bad."

"Yeah," I said. "And maybe there's a basilisk living beneath the school."

We entered the Great Hall and took seats at the Gryffindor table by the Marauders and the girls.

"So," Alice leaned forward. "How's the Head's common room? How's your dorm? Is it pretty? Is living with Potter that bad? Can we see it?"

"Well," I said. "The Head's tower is amazing, as is my dorm, it's gorgeous. I don't know if Potter is going to be that bad, and of course you can see it!"

We turned to where the Marauders were all questioning James, I mean Potter.

"So Prongs," Sirius was saying. "Is it a perfect place for post-Quidditch match parties?"

"Absolutely!" James exclaimed. "It's fantastic. You guys will _have _to see it."

Just then Professor McGonagall came down the table handing out our timetables.

I looked down and groaned; our first class was Potions, which was great because it was my best class, then Herbology and then Care of Magical Creatures, which were outside. In the rain.

All of the Seventh-years put their schedules in the center so we could see. I had the same classes as Remus, Alice, and Marlene; we all took Ancient Runes, while the others had that period free.

"Attention students!" Professor Dumbledore stood up. "Due to the rain and storm outside, we have canceled Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures for today."

"Yes!" James exclaimed. "All w have today then is Potions, and we have the rest of the day off!"

The seven of us, with the exception of Peter, who was going to Divination, all headed off to the Potions classroom.

"Welcome students!" Professor Slughorn addressed us. "To your final year of Potions! I will be pairing you each today, and your partner will be your partner for the remainder of the year."

Most of the kids started trying to catch their friend's eye, or someone they knew who was smart. Remus and I looked at each other, we were the best in the class, and we figured we would do well together.

"Ah no students!" Slughorn chuckled. "_I _am picking your partners. When I say your partner's name you will go join them. Snape, Goyle." Severus moved his books as another Slytherin came to join him.

"Lupin, McKinnon."

"Black, MacDonald."

"Diggory, Thomas."

"Fortescue, Longbottom."

"Evans, Potter." My head shot up. I really hoped he had made a mistake, but no. Here was Potter sitting down next to me and beaming.

"Well Evans," he murmured into my ear. "This just keeps getting better and better."

I glared at him before putting my head in my hands.

"Now today we are going to begin working on Amortentia, a love potion. It takes about two weeks to brew, so these next two weeks of class will be spent on it. Pull out your books and begin."

I pulled my copy of _Advanced Potion Making _towards me and Potter leaned in to read. We got our ingredients and by the time the class period was up our potion was the desired shade of light purple.

When we started to go back to the Head's Tower for the rest of the day the Marauders and the girls came with.

"Oh. My. God," Alice murmured when Delia's portrait swung forward to reveal the staircase up the tower. "I never knew there was a tower here! This is insane! Wow! I mean, this is crazy! Come on lets go I wanna see the common room!" She sprinted up the stairs leaving the rest of us to hope she wouldn't cause too much damage.

"Hey Evans," Potter called from behind me. "Think you can control your friend?"

"Alice?" Marlene turned and shot him a glare. "She's harmless. And don't you make fun of her!"

Potter put his hands up in defeat. "I'm not making fun of her! Just asking you to control her."

Marlene huffed and rolled her eyes, but when she turned around and looked at me she mouthed the words "_Go out with him."_ I glared at her and continued up the stairs.

We spent the rest of the day showing the Marauders and the girls all the perks of being Heads. They were amazed, Remus loved all the books, and Mary practically fainted at the sight of the wardrobe. When they finally left Potter and I went into our separate dorms. I changed into my short shorts and a tank top and lay down in my bed, gazing at the very near full moon.

After not being able to sleep for an hour I glanced at my watch and saw it was about midnight. I quietly crept down to the common room and collapsed on one of the chairs, just sitting, looking at the fire.

"What's wrong, Evans?" I looked up and saw that Potter was sitting in the chair opposite me.

"Potter," I said surprised. "How long have you been there?"

"Not long, came down just after you."

"Oh. Well to answer your question, I couldn't sleep."

"Me either."

We sat in silence for a few minutes.

"It's just kinda quiet, being the Heads," Potter mumbled. "I'm used to Sirius babbling and Peter eating and Remus telling us to go to sleep. It's weird now to have a room to myself."

"I know. I miss Alice talking to all hours of the night, and Mary yelling at her, and Marlene yelling at her, and me yelling at all of them. It's just unsettling."

"Well it's nice to know there's someone in the dorm next to mine," Potter smiled a genuine smile at me.

"I agree. Why don't we go to bed? Defense Against the Dark Arts is first tomorrow morning, and I heard a rumor from a Hufflepuff that we're starting Patronuses." I smiled back at him before getting up.

James stood and I couldn't help but notice how incredibly fantastic he looked. He was shirtless, in just boxer shorts with Snitches on them. His muscles were toned from Quidditch, and his hair was rumpled like usual.

"Night, Evans," he whispered as he opened the door to his room.

"Night, Potter."


	6. Patronuses and Perfect Pairs

**Disclaimer: You know what this is. The wonderfulness of HP belongs to J.K.**

** "**Think of you're happiest memory!" Professor Brewers said for the zillionth time that class period. "And focus _all _the energy on performing the Patronus!"

I remembered the day when Professor Dumbledore had come to my house to give me my Hogwarts letter. With all my strength I thought of the memory.

"_Expecto Patronum_!" A hazy mist flowed from my wand, surrounding me.

"Miss Evans has done it!" Brewers clapped as the class turned to look at me. "Everybody, this is a non-corporeal Patronus, or just a mist. Once you master these then you will move on to corporeal Patronuses, or ones that take shape."

Slowly the mist dissipated and everybody turned back to there memories. I collapsed in a chair and took a few deep breaths.

"Producing a Patronus isn't easy Evans," Professor Brewers said as he handed me a piece of chocolate. "And it'll be even harder with real Dementors."

"I know," I smiled at the old man.

"But you were the first in the class, and the fact that you managed to produce a Patronus at all is impressive."

"Thank you sir."

I continued practicing with my mist, and a few times I thought I saw the shape of an animal, nothing distinct enough to tell what it is. Defense was the last class of the day, so after dinner I was going to practice in the common room. By the time Professor Brewers called for the class to end, only Potter, Marlene and I had managed to produce hazy mists.

I sat down in the Great Hall for dinner across from Alice and Mary.

"Where's Marlene?" I asked.

"Haven't seen here since we left Defense," Remus sat down next to me, and inevitably the rest of the Marauders sat around us.

"Oh well," Alice said as she took a helping of mashed potatoes. "More food for us."

"What do you think you're Patronus is?" Mary asked James, who was sitting on the other side of me, much to my annoyance.

"I'm thinking something like a stag, proud, strong," he said, sharing a look between the other Marauders. I knew there was something up between them, but I didn't know what.

"What about you, Mary?" Sirius said with his mouth full of chicken.

She rolled her eyes at his untidy eating habits. "I don't know actually, no guess to it."

About halfway through dinner while we were eating Alice's mouth dropped open.

"What is it, Als?" I said.

"M-M-Marlene," she stammered.

I turned around and felt my mouth drop. Here, stumbling into the Great Hall was Marlene, her hair messed up, her shirt partly unbuttoned, her skirt wrinkled. She looked nothing like the Marlene we knew. Her blonde hair was sticking out of her ponytail, a dopey smile on her face and she had a hickey on her neck. And stumbling in on her arm was none other than Terrance Smith, the Hufflepuff. She gave him a peck on the cheek before running over to us, nearly tripping over her high-heeled shoes.

"Merlin Marlene," I exclaimed as she sat down next to Mary, earning me looks from all down the table. In a slightly quieter tone I added, "what've you been doing, shagging Smith in a broom closet?"

She giggled. "Sorta. It wasn't a broom closet, it was an old class room." She said defensively.

"Marlene," Mary put a hand on her shoulder. "We didn't need to know that. It was a rhetorical question."

Marlene just giggled before helping herself to the food in front of us. I finished my dinner and hoisted my bag on my shoulder before heading to the tower, Potter following behind me.

"Merlin's pants," he said, coming up next to me as we approached Lady Delia. "I didn't know Marlene was that kind of girl."

"I don't think any of us did," I said as I gave her the password and climbed the spiral staircase.

We dropped our bags and pulled out our wands. I eyed Potter suspiciously, but moved on to think of a memory.

After countless attempts at trying I was near exhaustion, but for one final try, I concentrated on the moment when I first saw Hogwarts, and with all my might focused the energy in my wand.

"_Expecto Patronum!" _I yelled, and to my amazement a silver doe burst from the end of my wand. At the other end of the room I saw Potter gazing at a beautiful silver stag. When he saw my Patronus his mouth dropped open, as did mine. Both animals flickered before fading.

"Evans," he gasped. "You're Patronus. It's a doe, mines a stag."

"But, that doesn't mean anything?"

"Evans, I've read everything about Defense I could. Our Patronuses are a pair. It means- it means we're meant to be together."

My mouth dropped open even farther. "We- you and me- we're a perfect pair?"

Potter nodded, and I felt my vision start to blur. Sometimes when I went into too much shock I fainted, and I could feel it coming now. This same thing had happened when I had rushed to the common room after Severus had called me a Mudblood, and when I had gotten my Hogwarts letter. I started to reach for something to grasp onto, but it was too late, I sank into blackness.

When I woke up I felt a pair of warm hands feeling nervously on my forehead. I tried to sit up but was overcome by dizziness so I lay back down. I slowly opened my eyes and Potter's nervous face came into view.

"Lily!" he cried out when he saw my eyes open. "Oh thank god you're alright, you really worried me. What happened?"

"It happens a lot, I just fainted," I said distractedly. James Potter had just called me 'Lily'. Not 'Evans', or 'darling', or anything else. Just Lily.

"Still, it scared me."

"How long was I out for?"

"Not long, ten, fifteen minutes at the most."

I started to sit up again, and looked James straight in the eye. He had definitely changed this year, for the better. He didn't hex Snape anymore, and he wasn't as arrogant. Maybe I should give him a chance. And if it was true, we were perfect for each other, then why would I deny it?

"James?"

"Yes Lily?"

"Were you serious, about the whole Patronus thing."

He nodded. "As the grave."

A smile slowly spread across my face. "Well Potter, if we're meant to be together, then why on Earth haven't you kissed me yet?"

He grinned, a grin that I had never seen him grin before. He pulled me towards him and his lips touched mine. And I felt sparks. I never thought that I would like James Potter, but now it seemed I had fallen in love with him.

I kissed him back, and when we broke apart we both felt it.

"Evans," he whispered as he hugged me close. "Now that I have you, I am _never _letting you go."

"That's fine by me, Potter," I whispered as I fell asleep in his arms.


	7. Pictures and Sectumsempra

**I know by now you're probably tired of seeing this. I don't own Harry Potter.**

I woke up on Saturday morning to find a pair of strong arms encircling me. I turned shook my head as I remembered last night's events. James and I. The Patronuses. The kiss. So that means, the person holding me must be James.

I turned my head and sure enough, the bespectacled boy was sleeping peacefully. We were on a couch in the common room, and when I looked through the window I saw the sun shining.

"James," I squirmed, trying to wake him up. "James wake up."

He stirred but tightened his hold on me and I giggled. It felt good to have someone hold me like this.

"BREAKFAST IN TEN!" I yelled, and instantly James jerked awake.

"Merlin Lily! Wait- what? Why? Oh!" It seemed that the same things had gone through his head that had gone through mine. "I told you that I would eventually get you to be my girlfriend!"

I laughed and sat up. He put his arms behind his head and yawned.

"Get up you," I poked his chest. "Breakfast really is in ten minutes."

I went upstairs to get dressed. We didn't have to wear robes today since it was a weekend, so I put on my gray skirt and a short-sleeved white blouse. I left the top three buttons undone and rolled the skirt a couple times at the hip so it was shorter. I left my socks off and slid some black flats on before heading down stairs. James was already waiting.

We walked down to the Great Hall, and for some reason didn't see anybody. Fantastic, just meant more people to be astounded when I walked in holding hands with James.

Sure enough, as we entered the Great Hall jaws dropped open.

We sat down next to the Marauders and the girls, and they all just stared as I leaned my head onto James's shoulder. I raised my eyebrows at Alice, Mary, and Marlene.

"L-Lily?" Alice looked at me as though I had lost my mind, which I probably had.

"Yes?" I smiled.

"You two, dating?"

"Mhm."

"Since when?"

"Last night."

"HOW?" Sirius yelled. I glared at him when even more people turned and stared.

"Well," James ruffled his best mate's hair. "Last night we both managed to perform corporeal Patronuses, and they were a pair. And I told Lily how that meant we were meant for each other, and it just sort of happened."

"Back up," Sirius said. "You two produced corporeal Patronuses?"

"Yeah," I said. "Last night. A doe."

"And Prongsie yours was a stag?" Peter piped up.

"Of course."

We were standing up to go outside when Rita Skeeter, a bitchy seventh-year Slytherin came up to us. She pulled out her notebook and acid green quill and was poised to write.

"So," she said, eyes wide behind her bejeweled glasses.

"What?" James snapped.

"Is it true? Are the two of you, who have hated each other for _years_, actually going out?"

"Well obviously," I rolled my eyes.

"You're serious?"

"No!" Sirius piped up. "I am!"

"SIRIUS!" Remus hit him over the head.

"Honestly mate," Peter laughed. "That joke got old in first-year."

Sirius pouted. "I like it," he feigned mock disappointment.

It was the first day of term that the sun was out, and the lake was shining. James swept me up and put me on his back, I clasped my arms around his neck as we went outside.

"Lily," Marlene called. "You and James are _perfect _for each other. You really should have listened to him!"

"Absolutely!" Mary giggled. "I'm glad you two don't hate each other anymore."

We all sat underneath the huge tree by the lake. Two years ago it had been this spot where Severus had called me a Mudblood, and when I had yelled at he and James. Now I was cuddling with James and laughing as Sirius chased Remus around the lake for telling him his laugh sounded like a dog's. Sometimes I have a feeling that the boys all share a secret, a really big secret.

Music floated outside from somewhere in the castle, and the wind picked up. There was a chill in the autumn air. James took his Gryffindor scarf and tied it around my neck, and I slid a black cap over my red curls. Music was drifting down from somewhere in the castle and Alice jumped up and started to sway in time to the rhythm. We all laughed at the sight of the bubbly little girl swaying back and forth.

James shifted me aside and stood up. He grabbed my hand and pulled me into a tight hug, while spinning around. The leaves swirled around us in the picking-up wind. I smiled and stood on my tiptoes while James bent his head to kiss me. Just as our lips met I heard a camera snap. When he pulled out of the kiss I turned and saw Marlene grinning with her camera.

"I used magical film, so when I develop the picture it'll be moving!"

I grinned at her. "Thanks."

We ate lunch outside, Sirius darting quickly down to the kitchen to get food for a picnic. I grinned as the sky darkened. We went in for dinner and then James and I departed to the Head's Tower.

"Today was fantastic," I said, leaning my head into his shoulder. His arm was slung around my waist and I was leaning into him. My eyelids were starting to droop.

"It was. I'm glad you agreed to be my girlfriend."

We had reached the tower and James was about to say the password when someone came out of the shadows.

"Lily!" I whirled around and saw Severus Snape stepping towards us. I felt James tighten his grip on my waste and his body tense next to mine.

"What?" I snapped.

"Can we talk?"

I sighed. I didn't like Sev anymore, but I felt that I at least owed him an explanation. I spun out of James's grip, and told him to go upstairs. For a second he looked like he was about to protest, but her turned and climbed the staircase with one last glower at Severus.

"Why are you dating him?" Severus blurted before I could say anything.

"That's none of your business," I snarled.

"Lily," Severus reached out to grab my hand.

"Don't touch me!"

"Lily!" Severus grabbed my wrist and yanked me towards him. I stumbled on the slippery floor and her pulled me towards him. He pressed his mouth hard against mine. His lips were rough and I struggled to free myself. When he pulled away I spat in his face.

"You're disgusting Sev."

His grip tightened on my wrist and I struggled to get free. He raised his hand and I felt it make contact with my cheek. I gasped and kicked his shin, but he wouldn't let go.

"SEVERUS! OW STOP IT YOU'RE HURTING ME!"

"Dammit Lily! Why don't you see?"

"LET GO!" out of shock Severus shoved me away from him and I slid and hit the ground. The pain in the back of my head from hitting the wall was enough to make me see stars. But when I turned I saw James standing, livid, in the portrait hole. Lady Delia was standing, terrified, I realized that she must've run to a portrait in the common room and told James. Or he had heard my yells.

Severus drew his wand as James directed his at Severus. "_Impedimenta!_"

Severus ducked the spell as I stumbled to my feet. "_Incarcerous!"_

James muttered a spell and the ropes that had wrapped around him dissolved. I meant to do something but I was frozen in place.

"_Langlock!" _Severus struggled to talk, but his tongue was stuck to the roof of his mouth. He sent a nonverbal spell at James and with a flash of light James was hanging upside-down.

He nonverbally reversed it and jumped to his feet. "_Stupefy!" _

Severus froze, and I took that as my chance but James shook his head. "Stay out of this Lily!"

Severus directed his wand at James. _"Sectumsempra!"_

_ "_No!" I cried and threw myself in front of James before the spell could hit him. Unfortunately, that put me in the path of the spell. I felt the invisible sword slice through my robes and into my chest. A look of horror crossed Severus's face, and he ran off. James's face swam in front of my vision, him taking his shirt off, tearing it and pressing them across the cuts; he didn't know how to heal wounds.

I remember Delia hurrying off to go find help, and James's strong arms lifting me off the ground. Then Madam Pomfrey came and everything went black.


	8. Bandages and Friendships Ended

**I FORGOT ON THE LAST CHAPTER! But that's ok, coz you guys all know that Harry Potter belongs to JKR, and I am most certainly NOT her.**

I fluttered my eyes open, but the bright lights of the Hospital Wing instantaneously started a pounding in my head. I shut my eyes again, but the movement had not gone unnoticed.

"Lily!" A voice said quietly. "You guys! She's awake! I saw her move! Hurry!"

I felt a small pair of hands gently brush across my forehead, moving some red hair away. Forcing my eyes open I saw Alice's dirty blonde hair and blue eyes above me. Behind her I saw Marlene, Mary, and Dorcas.

"Oh Lily!" Marlene whispered, trying to hug me but it was difficult when I was lying down and with all the bandages crisscrossing my chest and arms. The spell had done more damage than I had initially noticed. "James told us everything this morning! We were sitting with the Marauders, they were kinda quiet, seemed tired, and Remus wasn't with them, but anyway, he told us everything and we came down immediately! And Doe came with."

"Thanks guys," I grimaced as a sharp pain went through my chest. "I'm glad you came."

"Oh Lily," Mary was close to tears. "I can't believe Severus would do that!"

"James told us all about how he kissed you and then they dueled and oh it's just awful!" Dorcas hugged Mary as she turned to me.

"As much as I REALLY wanna say 'I told you so,' I won't," Alice said looking at me.

I opened my mouth to reply but at that moment Madam Pomfrey bustled over, with a bottle of some potion in one hand and waving her wand threateningly in the other.

"Out! Everybody out! Miss Evans needs her rest!" she cried.

"I'll bring your homework tonight Lils!" Marlene called.

I sighed and flopped back onto the pillows behind me. This would be a long night. I glanced at the bed next to mine, I could here breathing and the turning of pages, but the curtains were drawn. I closed my eyes and struggled to sleep, but I wasn't tired. I heard Madam Pomfrey nearby, and the curtains to the next bed open.

"Mr. Lupin, was last night rough?" She asked quietly.

"Yes, worse than usual," I heard Remus mutter.

"Well I think you should stay one more night, and next time, _please _get here earlier, you had me worried."

"Yes Madam Pomfrey," Remus muttered again.

Madam Pomfrey left and my eyes shot open and I sat up quickly. I heard Remus turn towards me in his bed, and watched as his eyes widened when he saw all the bandages that were would around me in place of the shirt. I must've looked a mess, with my snarled hair and I probably still had some blood on me.

"Lily!"

"Remus!"

"What are you doing here?" we both asked at the same time.

"I-er-accident," Remus muttered. I raised my eyebrow but didn't press the subject. "Why are you here? What happened? You look awful!"

"Well, um, Severus kind of kissed me last night, and then James came to my rescue, and well er there was a duel, and I jumped in to help James, and Severus shot a spell at James, and I took it for him, and well, this happened."

"Merlin," Remus whispered as his eyes ran down the bandages, which had a little blood soaking through, and the cuts on my arms, which were mostly healed. "What spell was this?"

"A made up one," I muttered. As much as I loathed Severus for, well, being Severus these past years, I didn't want him to get in trouble. "One that he created. It makes an invisible sword and well yeah."

"Wow, I take it James wasn't happy."

"Not at all. I don't know if I've ever seen him that angry."

At that moment James, Sirius, and Peter all hurried into the Hospital wing. I pulled the covers up to my neck, feeling exposed, before I remembered that bandages covered every inch of skin on my chest.

"Wow Evans," Sirius looked me over as he pulled up a chair and sat. "You're a sight."

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks for the sympathy, Black."

James perched on the edge of my bed, and took my hand. He ran his hands up my arms, feeling the scars of the deep cuts that Severus had left.

"Moony, I'm sorry about last night, did you guys manage without me?" he said turning to Remus.

"Yeah, it was a rough one, but oh well," he smiled at me. "I'm glad you were able to save Lily."

I looked at Sirius, then Peter, then Remus, then James. They definitely had a secret that nobody knew about.

"What're you guys talking about?" I said.

"Nothing Lily-flower," Sirius sing-songed.

I rolled my eyes. "Of course not." I flopped back down on the pillows and James moved me over to do the same.

"One day, maybe you'll understand," he grinned at me. I rolled my eyes again.

"James Potter do not talk to me like I'm a _five year-old,"_ I said.

"Wouldn't _dream _of it Lily Evans," he whispered before leaning in to kiss me.

"Oi!" Sirius bounced on the foot of my bed. "Break it up! Evans needs her rest, Prongs! You can't be snogging her every chance you get!"

I glared at Sirius. "I think I'll be fine."

At that moment the door to the Hospital Wing burst open and a sallow faced boy with a hooked nose and greasy hair ran into the room.

"Lily!" Severus cried as he located me.

"Stay away from here Snivellus!" James jumped off the bed, quickly followed my Sirius.

"If it wasn't for you, she wouldn't be in this state!" Sirius growled.

"I came to say I'm sorry! I didn't intend for her to be hit!"

"But you came up with a spell like that!" James yelled. I was amazed that Madam Pomfrey hadn't come running out to silence them.

"Because you idiots taunted me! I needed something up my sleeve!"

"No, because you're going to be a Death Eater! You should be expelled for that! But I didn't tell Madam Pomfrey. You are lucky," James ended in a menacing growl.

"Whatever," Severus shot daggers at him before turning to me. "Lily," he said his tone softening. "I'm sorry, I didn't think you would jump in, and about before that, just Lily, forgive me?"

I gazed at Severus, his black eyes, and the face. The eyes face that had found me so many years ago in the park. The mouth that had told me I was a witch. The one that had called me a Mudblood. I had always hoped that maybe, he didn't mean it; somehow, we could still be friends. That maybe I could forgive him and we could go back to that blissful oblivious feeling that used to be there when we were friends. Nobody else mattered, it was okay that we were a Gryffindor and a Slytherin, we were best friends. But now, I was sure of my decision.

"No," I whispered. His eyes fell, and he turned to leave the Hospital Wing. Our friendship was over, forever.


	9. Full Moons and Secrets

**Every time I have to write this at the top of a story it's a constant reminder that I don't own Harry Potter.**

A month after the Severus incident I was feeling good as new. Of course, scars still crisscrossed across my breasts, chest, stomach, and arms, but they would fade. I hope. James and I were on the couch in the Head's tower, snogging, his hands were tangled in my hair, and he was lying on top of me. When he pulled back I grinned and sat up.

"I'm glad you're out of the Hospital Wing," he murmured against my ear.

"Me too," I groaned as he traced mesmerizing circles on my back, the way I liked. There had been too much stress lately, with homework and recovering.

"Tomorrow I'm going to spend the night with the boys," he said, as he started to button up his shirt.

"Alright," I said as I caught his hands fumbling with one of the buttons. I undid it.

I leaned in to kiss him again, and he leaned back down on top of me. I fell asleep to the steady beat of his heart and the circles being drawn on my back.

"Lily," a voice whispered in my ear. "Lily. Lily!"

"What?" I jerked upright and looked around, it was Monday morning, the sun was shining, and I had three classes to go to today.

"Wake up, it's time to get dressed," James said.

"Fine," I got off the couch where we had fallen asleep and went to my dorm. After I was ready I went back down to the common room where James was waiting, already dressed.

The Great Hall was stirring with excitement. This weekend was the first Quidditch match, between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw.

"Remus are you alright?" I asked as I sat down. "You look a little pale."

"I'm fine Lily," Remus smiled. "Just feeling a little under the weather."

"Alright," I said before turning to speak to Alice.

"Today we are beginning a new brew!" Professor Slughorn proclaimed when we were all seated. "Today we will begin the Polyjuice Potion, and you will be working as a group of four. You may pick your partners."

I looked at Marlene and Remus, who immediately moved to our table. We began our potion, and by the end of the hour it looked exactly like it should.

"Care of Magical Creatures," I mumbled as we trudged down past Hagrid's hut to where Professor Kettleburn was waiting.

"Today we are studying Thestrals," he said as he started to walk towards the Forbidden Forest. The rest of the class stared at him. "Well come on!" We all followed apprehensively.

The rest of the day was a blur, Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures were interesting, but by the time dinner rolled around I was happy. I was excited for my night alone in the Head's tower tonight.

James kissed me goodnight and headed off towards Gryffindor Tower while I headed towards Lady Delia.

"Hello love," she smiled. "All alone tonight?" I nodded. "Enjoy your night of quiet."

"Thanks, Pumpkin," she had given a new password for the Halloween feast this Saturday.

I collapsed in one of the armchairs and pulled my Transfiguration essay that was due Thursday towards me. But after half an hour I gave up, as it was hopeless. I climbed the seven stairs to my bedroom and lay on the bed, looking outside. It was dark out, but the moon was not quite up. But in the light from the castle I saw two someone's walking towards the Whomping Willow. I sat up straighter, who would do that?

As the moon started to rise, the light was thrown onto the people. It looked like Remus and Madam Pomfrey. Madam Pomfrey hugged Remus tight before turning and heading up to the castle. I cracked open one of my windows a little to hear what they were saying. I saw Remus jab at the willow with a stick, and its branches froze. He slipped inside a tunnel at the base, and didn't reemerge.

Minutes later, after watching the base of the tree, I heard voices.

"Prongs," a voice that sounded like Sirius's whined. "Why did you forget the cloak in the Head's Tower?"

"Oh deal with it Padfoot, who's gonna see us anyway?" a voice that sounded like James replied.

"Yeah," someone that sounded like Peter piped up. "It's nearly ten o'clock, everyone's in bed."

I watched as they stopped at the tree, suddenly, Peter was gone, and the branches shook. James and Sirius stooped and crawled into the tunnel. As the full moon climbed higher into the sky I looked towards Hogsmeade. The tunnel had to lead somewhere, maybe the Shrieking Shack? It seemed ridiculous, but at Hogwarts I suppose anything's possible.

Suddenly, when the moon reached the highest point in the sky, and earsplitting scream split the night. Shivers shot up my spine as the scream turned into a howl, and then cut off, fading into the night. I watched the Willow again, and suddenly three large figures emerged. But they weren't human.

I watched as a stag, a large dog, and a wolf exited the willow. I pulled out my telescope and trained it on them. I could see a rat riding on the stag's antlers, and the wolf didn't look all wolf. There was something a little human looking about him.

Suddenly it hit me. Remus going into the Whomping Willow, on the full moon, and he'd been in the Hospital Wing last month. And James's Patronus, the stag, and the stag out on the grounds. The dog, the way we always accused Sirius of acting like a puppy. Peter, with his rat-like habits. It all fit, there nicknames too. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs. If this was all true, then it meant Remus was a-

"Werewolf," I concluded. I was sitting on the edge of Remus's bed in the Hospital Wing. Now I knew where all the scars came from, he had a few scratches across his cheek, but nothing too serious.

"How did you find out," Remus was pale, horrorstruck.

"I'm not stupid Remus," I said kindly. "I saw last night from the tower. He paled even more.

"Oh no," he murmured. "This is the Marauders all over again. Do you hate me?"

"What?" I gasped. "Remus why would I hate you? You're still the same old Remus, it's not your fault."

He smiled sadly at me. I grinned back. "I don't mind. I admire that your so hardworking and you cope with this at the same time. And that they others would become Animagi for you, it's sweet."

"Thank you Lily," he smiled. He reached up to give me a hug, and I returned it, before heading down to the Great Hall.


	10. Pranks and Perfect Dresses

**Do you ever get annoyed that I have to remind you all that I'm not JKR and I don't own Harry Potter? Cause I do?**

"Happy Halloween!" Sir Nicholas paraded through the middle of the Gryffindor table.

"Happy Deathday Nick!" Remus called to him as he passed. He waved his hand in a thank you.

"Students," Professor Dumbledore stood. "Before we begin our sure to be excellent feast, I would like to say a few things. First, Happy Halloween! Second, a very Happy Deathday to Sir Nicholas! And third, we have set the date for the ball this year! It is to be on the eve of November 23rd at 6 o'clock. As I may or may not have said earlier, it is welcome to all those third year and up. Now, tuck in!"

Food appeared before us and the boys all started to pile it on to their plates. The other Marauders didn't know that I knew Remus's secret yet, but they would find out soon enough.

"Lily. Lily. Lily. Lily. Lily!" Alice was tugging on my sleeve.

"Yes Alice?" I grinned at the aggravated little girl.

"We've decided the us and Doe are all gonna go dress shopping next Hogsmeade weekend, there dance is on a Saturday, and there's a day on Sunday before.

"Sounds alright," I smiled at the thought of buying a ball gown. "Who're you going with?"

"I dunno," Alice blushed deeply. "I'm hoping Frank will ask me."

"Marlene," Mary tugged on one of Marlene's pigtails. "Are you still dating Terrance?"

"Nope," Marlene grinned. "I ended that yesterday. He's way too clingy."

"I noticed, you seemed kind of annoyed with him earlier," Mary said.

Fabian and Gideon Prewett sat down next to James and Sirius.

"When's this prank gonna be pulled?" Fabian said not so quietly to James. People looked at him and the Marauders.

"Shh Fabian!" Peter hushed him. "We can't let that get out!"

"Anyway, it should happen right about now," Sirius said.

As if on cue, the giant jack-o-lanterns that lined the Hall started to flicker. Lightning flashed on the enchanted ceiling. The candles that floated above as swayed back and forth. A gust of wind blew through the Hall, bringing clouds over the stars and putting all the lights out. The Great Hall was plunged into darkness. Suddenly, there was a scream, and I felt a weird feeling on my face. Out of nowhere, a huge firework went off, and a giant _M _lit up the Hall. The candles came back on and none other than the Marauders were standing on the staff table.

"This prank was brought to you by the Marauders!" James yelled to the hall.

"We hope you enjoyed it!" Sirius yelled.

"And don't have too much fun this Halloween night!" Remus said with a glint in his eye.

"And don't worry this isn't the last prank of the year!" Peter called. And with another flash of darkness, they were back at the Gryffindor table.

"I. Can't. Believe. You guys!" Alice said when the buzz had died down and everyone was relaxed again. "That was insane! It was so spooky!"

"We pride ourselves in creative masterpieces such as this," Sirius said dramatically.

I laughed at Remus's bemused expression. The rest of the feast went rather uneventfully, spare the few times people came over to congratulate the Marauders on the stunning display.

"James," I giggled later that night as we lay in his bed. He was tickling me and it was unbearable. "James stop!" I gasped.

He collapsed beside me on the bed and held me close. I laced my fingers through his raven hair and he took his glasses off. He ran his fingers through my red hair, gently coming out the tangles.

"I love you Lily Evans," he whispered into my ear, barely audible.

"I love you James Potter," I whispered. I fell asleep in his arms.

A week before the ball on a Sunday I found myself walking down the main street in Hogsmeade with Alice, Mary, Marlene, and Dorcas. We were headed to the Wizarding clothes shop on the corner to get our gowns for the ball.

When we were in the shop, I was stunned by the amount of dresses in the back room. Alice pulled out a sunshine yellow knee-length dress and held it up to Dorcas. Her feathery black hair went perfectly with the color, and she pulled a sunflower out of the vase of flowers on one of the tables.

"Doe it's so pretty!" Mary squealed.

She had already tried on a short blue dress, but had abandoned it for a floor length purple gown that puffed out like the Muggle fairytale Cinderella's dress. Her brown hair flowed down her shoulders and she beamed as she spun around. The hoop skirt wasn't huge, but just enough to make the dress perfect.

"Look at this!" Marlene called. She had a red and gold dress on, and was spinning back and forth.

"Just like you, Gryffindor colors," I laughed as she blushed. "But it does look fantastic on you."

Alice had slipped into a light blue dress that was tight fitting and came down to her knees. It glimmered in the light of the shop, and she jumped up and down as she tried it on.

"It's perfect! I love it! It's so pretty!" I laughed as the little girl ran around the room, looking for the perfect dress for me.

"Lily," Dorcas called. I turned and went to wear she was holding out a floor length emerald green ball gown.

I put the gown on and admired it in the mirror. Magical sparkles shined on it, and it was tight fitting until my legs where it flowed outwards. The fabric shimmered every time I moved and matched my eyes.

"It's beautiful," Marlene whispered.

"James is going to be speechless," Mary smiled and pulled my hair back out of my face.

"Like me," Alice grinned.

"Oh Lily," Doe murmured.

After we all paid for our dresses we headed over to the Three Broomsticks and picked up Butterbeers to go. We headed back up the main road towards the looming castle. As we made our way up it hit me that this year would be our last Hogsmeade trips, but I pushed that thought out of my mind and went back to talking about the upcoming ball.

**A/N: Yes I know this chapter kinda sucks. I apologize. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't review! PLEASE review it! Just click the blue words right below this! It means the WORLD to me! Come one guys make a 13-year-old girl happy!**


	11. The Ball and Nightmares

**HEY GUESS WHAT! I recently acquired the rights for Harry Potter! That's right! I own it all now! And wanna know the best part? That was all a lie. I don't own Harry Potter. Not any of it.**

Alice, Mary, Marlene, Dorcas, and I were all in my dormitory in the Head's Tower, doing our hair and slipping into our dresses.

"Hand me the sunflower!" Doe called from the bathroom. I three the flower at her and she disappeared behind the shower curtain. Minutes later, she emerged in her dress and a sunflower in her hair.

"Oh Doe you look lovely!" Mary gushed.

"Thanks!" Doe really did look beautiful. "I have to go, Xenophilius is waiting for me!" she hurried out the door and rushed out of the Tower.

I went into the bathroom and twisted my red hair into a bun on top of my head. As I slid into the green dress Alice knocked and came in. Wordlessly she pulled a beautiful lily flower hair comb out of her bag and slid it into the bun.

"You look beautiful," she murmured as she straightened out the light blue dress she was wearing. She kissed my forehead and rushed back out into the dormitory, where Mary and Marlene were waiting.

"Oohh!" I cried as Mary twirled in the purple dress. Her brown hair was down, and it flared out when she spun.

Marlene showed off her red and gold dress, before running down the stairs toe the common room.

We had agreed not to tell each other our dates, and I was dying to know. I glanced once more in the mirror as Alice scampered down the stairs. I drifted down to where James was waiting.

His eyes widened as I smiled and spun into his arms. We walked down to the Great Hall, and when we danced into the ball I could feel eyes on us.

Alice and Frank were twirling around and Marlene and Sirius were giggling about something or other. I caught a glimpse of Amos Diggory spinning Mary in circles before James caught me in his arms and held me tight. A slow song came on I leaned my head into James's chest.

"You're beautiful Lily Evans," James murmured.

"I did it for you James Potter," I looked at his gorgeous hazel eyes. They had longing in them, he wanted something. He leaned down and gently pressed his lips to mine, kissing me and still revolving on the spot.

Two weeks after the dance Remus and I were exiting the Great Hall to go to Ancient Runes. Mary had already left with Amos, and Marlene was out sick with the flu.

"Lily Evans," Rita came up to Remus and me. "Would you like to confirm the rumors that you're going to stay here for the Holidays, along with a certain James Potter?"

"Well, um, yes, I am," I stuttered as she wrote down much more than I was saying.

"And are you and Potter-" she started to say but Remus grabbed my arm and dragged me down a corridor towards Runes.

"You don't need that right now," he said, as I looked quite shaken.

"I know," I muttered. "I just hadn't realized that we were such a celebrity couple."

"Don't worry about it Lils," Remus smiled as we took our usual seats behind Mary and Amos. "Rita's stupid."

"Yeah, I know."

It turned out she had cornered James while he was headed up to the Tower. I hurried up hours later and collapsed onto the couch next to him. It was finally the start of the Holidays, and the only Gryffindor's left would be us two, Sirius, and Marlene.

"I'm tired of Rita bugging me," I mumbled as we stared at the roaring fireplace in the hearth. "She's going to drive me insane."

"Now we wouldn't want that would we?" James chuckled as he tweaked my nose the way he knew drove me crazy.

We sat silent for a while, just relaxing. When it was near midnight I stirred against his near sleeping form.

"James?" I said, looking at him. "Can I ask you something?"

"I believe you just did love," he mumbled sleepily. "But you can ask me something else."

"Why didn't you give up on me? After I rejected you so many times?"

James sat up straighter and pulled me close. "Because I knew, from the moment I laid eyes on you, that you were the one for me. Yes, I knew you would be a challenge, but I also knew from that first day on the train when you yelled at Sirius and me, that I was in love with a fiery little red-head."

"What would you have done with I was in Slytherin?"

"I wouldn't have cared. It didn't matter what house you were in, love withstands anything. You being in Gryffindor was just a bonus."

"Why-"

"Love, you've asked me three questions, which is two more than the original deal," he winked. "Now, I believe it's time to sleep."

I got up off the couch and kissed him goodnight before hurrying up the stairs. I glanced at the sky out of my window. There was no moon. I thought about how much Remus dealt with. It wasn't his fault that Greyback had bitten him. Why did he have to suffer? I tossed and turned in my sleep, snarling fangs and red eyes haunting me. A cold high voice screaming the words, and a flash of green. The war glared at me in my dreams. I woke up screaming and in a cold sweat. I shook and tried to rid myself of the nightmare. But tears streamed down my face and sobs racked my body.

"Lily!" James was holding his wand up, the light was illuminating my face and I saw terror cross over to relief and then confusion. "Lily are you alright?"

I didn't say anything, but guessed I must've looked like I'd seen a ghost. He dropped his wand and ran over to me. Pulling back the covers he climbed into my bed and lay down, pulling me down with him. He pulled my quaking body tight to his and murmured promises of a better day in my ear.

"It's ok, I promise. I love you. Everything will be alright. I love you Lily Evans."

I fell asleep, once again in his arms, and the nightmare didn't return.


	12. Winter Days and Snowball Fights

**Why hello there my faithful readers! You can guess what this is! That's right! The Disclaimer! I don't own Harry Potter, which depresses me greatly.**

"James!" I shrieked as his hands fluttered lightly over my bare stomach. It was snowing hard outside and we were snuggled under the covers of my bed. Despite the frigid temperature, it was hot in the room.

His slender fingers were tickling my stomach, and I found it unbearable.

"James!" I gasped as his fingers didn't let up. "James stop!" I was laughing so hard and I began to writhe. Both of our shirts were on the ground, and the covers were pulled up to our shoulders.

He chuckled at my expression, I'm guessing I resembled something like a dying fish.

"Oh Lily," he sighed as I gave him a puppy dog glare. "You're eyes are so beautiful."

I smiled up at him, making my eyes wide. "You think so?"

"Absolutely," he murmured against my neck. He ran his fingers lightly over the scars the stood out against my skin from when Severus had kissed me. I shuddered at the memory.

His fingers were slowly making there way downward, but I pushed myself into a sitting position and gave him a grin. I crawled out of bed and ran towards the doorway.

"You're the Seeker, come get me," I called as I turned and ran out the door into the common room. I dashed behind a bookcase as I heard him get out of bed and come down the stairs. I hid against the wall and watch from a slit between the books as he searched under the couch and behind the curtains.

"Lily," he called with a grin. "Where are you?"

I let out a high-pitched giggle, and he turned towards me, his grin widening as he realized where I was hiding.

"Hey Evans," he grabbed my waist and hoisted me over his shoulder, fireman style.

"James!" I laughed and pounded on his back. "James put me down!"

He climbed up the stairs to his room with me still pounding on his back.

"James! James put me down! Put me down right now!"

"I'd be happy to oblige love," James whispered as he set me gently on his bed. "Are you happy now?"

"Yes," I grinned mischievously up at him as he picked me up and moved me backwards on the bed so my head was resting against a comfortable pillow.

"Good," he murmured as he traced his fingers over my stomach again. I giggled as his slender fingers made their way up to my cheek. He leaned down and gently pressed his lips to mine, while his long hands held my arms.

"James," I sighed as he planted feather light kisses on my neck and face.

"Lily?" he raised his eyebrows and looked at me. "Do you not want to?"

"Go ahead," I smiled and pulled him down to kiss me, and well, you can guess where it went from there.

"James," I murmured into his bare neck.

"Yes Lily flower?"

"I love you."

"I love you."

"JAMES!" a shout rang through the common room. "JAMES WHERE THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU?"

I arched an eyebrow. "Is that- Sirus?"

James rubbed his temples and pulled me closer to him. "Sirius can wait." He rubbed circles on my back and I was about to fall asleep when another shout jerked me back to reality.

"OI PRONGS! WHERE ARE YOU?"

"How does he even know the password?"

"He was probably paying more attention than I thought when we came up here after Quidditch practice."

"Ah," I mumbled and snuggled closer into James's chest. He was so warm, and it was cold outside.

The door to the dormitory banged open.

"Prongs! There you are! I've been looking-" Sirius stopped midsentence as James sat up and me. We must've looked quite a sight, James shirtless and in boxers, me wearing one of his shirts and a pair of my shorts. It was enormous on me, and came down all the way to my knees, so really there was no point in the shorts. My hair was all over, and his was even messier than usual. He slid his glasses on his nose so he could see Sirius.

"Sirius!" Remus appeared in the doorway behind him, and stopped in his tracks. "Sirius leave Prongs and Lily alone," he tugged on Sirius's arms but Sirius, being the ever untactful person he was just grinned widely.

"Evans, Evans, Evans," he grinned at me. "We told you that Prongsie would get you someday."

I shot daggers with my eyes at him. "Sirius, we were having a perfectly pleasant time just having a lazy day."

"Yes, I'm sure that's what you were doing," he said with a wink.

"Paddy, please, I don't want to see you dead, and Lils might just kill you if you don't get your arse out of here," Remus was tugging on Sirius's arm again.

"Hold on a sec would you Moony?" Sirius waved Remus away, and Remus threw an apologetic look at us.

"Prongs, would you hurry up and get downstairs, it's the winter Holidays and we're going to have a snowball fight."

James sighed and looked at me. I gave him a grin and snuggled closer than him, causing Sirius to make gagging faces.

"A snowball fight sounds lovely," I smiled.

James glared at Sirius, he was clearly happy like this and Sirius grinned before dashing out of the room to go put his snow clothes on. Remus walked out after him, shaking his head.

James turned towards me and I caught his face in the palm of my hand. I stroked his cheek and he took his Quidditch calloused hands, running them up and down my arms.

"I don't wanna get out of bed," I murmured into his chest as he stroked my thighs.

"We don't have to," he said. "We can stay here all day if you like."

"No," I smiled. "Come on." I crawled out of his bed and took off his shirt and tossed it back to him. He grinned as I stood in front of him and pulled him out of his bed.

"Fine," he groaned as I turned and went to get dressed. I threw on a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and wrapped my coat tightly around me. Slipping my red and gold scarf around my neck I dragged James outside where Sirius was waiting.

"Finally!" he said overdramatically. "You two lovebirds hauled yourselves out of bed!"

I giggled and brushed some snow off a bench before sitting on it and watching as Sirius started to throw snowballs at James.  
>"Remus, why did you change your mind and stay?" I asked.<p>

"Oh, I didn't want to leave you and Marls to deal with these two, and I prefer Hogwarts to my home."

I smiled and gave him a hug. "We love you Remus." I knew Remus had it hard at him since his mother died when he was seven and attacked by Fenrir. His father had always said it was his fault, and they weren't exactly on good terms with each other.

"Oi Moony!" James threw a snowball at the back of his head. "No hitting on my girlfriend!"

Remus jumped off the bench and scooped up a handful of snow, launching it at James. I joined in and threw snow, getting it all over Sirius's hair.

"Evans!" I turned around in time to duck a face full of snow from Sirius.

He started chasing after me, and I took off, running in the other direction. I didn't see James hiding behind a tree, where he jumped out and caught me around the waste. He picked me up bridal style and spun me in circles, while Sirius crept up behind us.

"James!" he yelled and charged at James's legs.

James tripped and Fell into a pile of snow, and I landed on top of him. The tips of my red hair brushed his flushed cheeks. Grabbing, my shoulders he flipped me over into the snow, and leaned down to kiss me. Our lips met, and I smiled up at him, the snow in my hair.

It was pretty much the best winter day of all time.

**A/N: I know that last sentence was cheesy, but I wanted to throw it in there! SoOoOoOoO… Like it? Hate it? Review it? Favorite it? THOSE EMAILS MAKE ME HAPPY! They make up for the mysterious absence of my Pottermore email…..**


	13. Telling the Boys and Merry Christmas

**Oh joy. I know JUST what you're thinking. HEY this is ANOTHER disclaimer! Well it is. And you know how it goes. Do I even need to say it anymore? I don't own Harry Potter. Now go read the story!**

James had gone to get dressed after the snowball fight, and Sirius and Remus were hanging out with me in the common room. I had taken a blanket off of James's bed, and was curled up in his Gryffindor t-shirt and a pair of my shorts. Believe it or not it was incredibly comfortable.

"Oi! Padfoot!" James came down the stairs. "Where the bloody hell is the blanket from my bed?"

"You're girlfriend stole it," Sirius said simply.

"Love, you've got to stop stealing my things," James said as he picked me up and set me on his lap. I tucked head into his neck and watched as Sirius had his eyebrows singed off in a game of Exploding Snap.

"Moony!" Sirius glared at Remus who was rolling around on the floor, laughing.

"It's funny," he gasped for breath.

"Prongs!" Sirius whined. "Grow them back?"

"Sure thing Paddy," James grinned and directed his wand at Sirius's face.

When his eyebrows were successfully grown back to normal Sirius contented himself in turning my toenails different colors with his wand.

I turned to Remus, who was looking at me. I knew what he was thinking. _Why haven't you told them you know yet? _I was asking myself the same thing. I shifted myself so I wasn't on James's lap anymore and leaned forward.

"Um," all three of them turned towards me. "I have to talk to you guys about something."

"What is it Lils?" James asked.

"I know."

I saw Sirius's face start to pale. "Know what?"

"You guys. Cut the crap," Remus said. "She knows."

"What? How long?" James looked at me.

"Well, I've had an idea since fourth year. But I really made it official that I knew on the second full moon of this year. I saw you guys."

Sirius paled even more. "Damn it!" he yelled. "We're so careful! How did she find out?"

"Sirius it's ok!" I put my hands on his shoulder. "I don't care, and I'm not going to rat you out. I think it's admirable what you do for your friend."

"You don't care?" Sirius's face visibly brightened. "In that case, then I don't care you know!"

I laughed. "What's it like?"

"Painful," Remus said.

I smiled sadly at him. "I'm sorry. You shouldn't have to go through something like that."

"Being Animagi?" James asked. "It's fantastic."

I laughed at his facial expression when a sudden loud bark disrupted my thoughts. I turned around to find a giant, shaggy, black dog standing in front of me.

"Sirius?" I giggled as the dog barked at me and jumped on the couch. He licked my face and I laughed, as James pulled my backwards.

"Alright Padfoot, no licking my girlfriend!"

The dog looked apologetic before transforming back into Sirius.

"And you're a stag," I said, poking James's arm.

He stood up off the couch and moved the coffee table out of the way. I stared in awe as my boyfriend transformed into a brilliant brown stag. His antlers stretched out of his brown head, and his brown, muscular, body had a couple scars on it from scratches. I stood up slowly, and walked forward. I reached a hand out and stroked his head. He nuzzled me with his nose, before transforming back into my James.

"Wow," I breathed. "And Peter?"

"A rat. He freezes the Willow for them," Remus said.

Soon after, Remus and Sirius left to go back to Gryffindor tower. They didn't have their magic map that they had told me about, and couldn't be caught out after curfew again.

James and I kissed goodnight and separated to our dorms. I lie down under my blankets, realizing I was still wearing James's shirt. Outside, the half moon shone into my room. It was so lonely, this huge bed. I didn't like it. Crawling out of bed, I quietly tiptoed over to James's room.

I was surprised to find the light on and James sitting up in his bed, reading _Quidditch Through the Ages._

"Lily?" he asked when he saw me standing in his doorway.

"I'm lonely," I pouted and walked over to his bed. He held up the covers as I crawled in and snuggled up to his bare chest.

He chuckled. "Oh Lily." He pulled me closer to him and I traced his Quidditch toned abs. "Sleep love."

I smiled back up at him, running my fingers down his chest.

"Lily. It's time for sleep."

"James."

"Lily."

I pouted. "Please?"

He set down his book and took off his glasses. Taking both my tiny hands in one of his, he pinned them over my head and leaned down to kiss me.

It was a deep, passionate kiss, and I arched my back to get closer to him. His tongue prodded my lips, and I opened them. I squirmed beneath his body, trying to get my hands free, but his grip was tight. He placed his other hand on my stomach, and gently pushed me back down, before lifting his face away from mine.

"Time for sleep now, love," he said, still holding my hands in his.

"Fine," I huffed, turning around. But he laced one arm over my waist and pulled me close, tracing gentle, tickling, circles on my bare stomach. Funny, I don't remember my shirt being removed. Hmph.

"WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP!"

"No," I groaned.

"GET UP YOU BLOODY LOVEBIRDS!"

I felt James tighten his grip on my waist and the bed started to move as somebody jumped on it. I cracked my eye open a wink and saw Sirius bouncing on the foot of the bed.

"IT'S CHRISTMAS YOU BLOODY GITS! NOW I DON'T CARE IF YOU BLOODY SHAGGED EACH OTHER ALL NIGHT GET YOUR LAZY ARSES OUT OF BED!"

"SIRIUS!" I sat up quickly, James following my lead.

"Merlin Evans," Sirius grinned wickedly. He was staring at my chest, and I realized that I was still in a black bra and just shorts.

"Sirius black!"

"I never knew you had such large-"

"_Silencio!"_ I had grabbed James's wand off the nightstand and with a flick Sirius opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

James chuckled and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me back down into his bed.

"Come on. Before Sirius has a heart-attack," I grinned, sitting up and picking up his button-down shirt from the floor.

We came down to the common room, where, unfortunately, Remus had undone my charm, and Sirius was jumping up and down.

"Merry Christmas!" he yelled, throwing boxes at James and me.

James grinned as he opened the mini Quidditch set for planning strategies in games, and I thanked Sirius for the box of sweets, popping a cinnamon flavored jellybean into my mouth. We exchanged gifts, and Sirius once again dragged us outside to play in the snow. I ran at James, and jumped up on his back.

"Merry Christmas," I whispered in his ear.


	14. Hair and Flying

**If I didn't put this up here, J.K Rowling would sue me. Because I don't own Harry Potter. If you use her characters, she will sue you. If you use any of my things, I will sue you. Moral of the story: GO EAT A PANCAKE! (No, I don't own Harry Potter)**

"I don't wanna go to class today," Sirius whined as we sat at the Gryffindor table for breakfast the first day after Christmas holidays.

"Oh well," Alice chirped. She had just returned from a skiing trip in France. "It's good to be back, France was nice, but nothing is better than Hogwarts."

"We had fun here," I looked at the boys. "Lots of snowball fights."

We finished breakfast and headed off to our classes.

"Welcome back class!" Professor Hewey said, handing down sheets of parchment with Runes on them for us to decode. "Today we're just doing a little warm up exercise, you know, get back into the swing of things."

I performed the exercise with ease, and sat back until the class ended. We headed to Defense, where the others were already waiting.

"Are you excited for Quidditch again?" I whispered to Marlene as Professor Brewers whisked into the room.

"Yes, it's been boring without it," she whispered back as there was a scuffle and everybody brought their books out of their bags.

Marlene and I ceased our whispering and turned towards the front of the classroom. I felt a tug on the back of my head, and I whirled around.

"What the hell?" I whispered, but I saw it was only James.

"I like playing with your hair," he whispered.

I rolled my eyes and turned back to the front, while he resumed twirling my hair around his finger.

~O-O~

"James," I murmured against his lips. He was combing his fingers through my hair again, trying to get all the snarls out. I pulled away from him and gave him a mock hurt expression.

"What's wrong love?"

"You've had all the fun today. I'm going to play with your hair."

James laughed as I leaned down and combed my fingers through his raven mop of black hair. I took his glasses and through them onto the table.

"Careful with those," James said against my lips.

I grinned and continued to run my hands through his hair, it was soft, nothing like I would've imagined, and it never stood down.

I curled up on his chest, and slept.

~O-O~

"Lilylilylilylilylilylily!" My eyes widened as I looked up to see both Sirius and Alice sprinting in my direction, the latter shoving Sirius away so she could get to me first.

My eyes widened even more when Alice jumped over the bench and sat down quickly at the Gryffindor table. Many people in the great hall were raising eyebrows at her and Sirius, who was still rubbing his head from when he'd hit the ground.

I shook my head and went back to eating.

"Lily. Lily. Lily. Lily! Liiiillllyyy! LILY! LILY MARGARET EVANS YOU LISTEN TO ME RIGHT NOW!"

My head shot up and I widened my eyes even more, if that's possible. I have never heard Alice like that. I had heard her yell and scream and shout plenty, _more _than plenty, of times, but I had never seen her yelling that loud to get someone's attention.

By now most of the Great Hall was staring at us, and I turned to glare at her.

"What Alice?"

"We have a test tomorrow!"

"I knew that."

"But-but it's TOMORROW!"

"Yes. The day after today. Tomorrow."

"You have to come study with me!"

"I will. I'll spend the night in the dorm."

"Yay!" she jumped up, clapped, and ran back out of the Great Hall, still drawing attention from everybody still eating.

Sirius came and sat down in her place, buttering a slice of toast.

"What do you want?" I raised my eyebrows at him.

"Whoa Evans, no need to be so harsh. We're practically related now, since you've been hanging around so much."

"Ha. Ha. Ha. Anyway, forgive me. To what do I owe the pleasure of speaking to you?"

"That's more like it. And James wants to see you."

"Kay," I smiled at Sirius and left.

I knew where James would be. It was 9 o'clock on Saturday; he would be on the Quidditch pitch.

I walked out onto the pitch, the sun warming me. It was March now, and the snow was beginning to melt. I avoided the little piles of slush that sat on the pitch as I made my way over to where James was standing, his back to me.

He turned around as my boots stomped across the crunchy grass.

"Lily!" he said, he pulled me over and slid me on top of his broom. "I know you don't like flying, but humor me. Please."

I raised an eyebrow at him but allowed him to kick his feet off the ground. The broom rose off the ground, and we steadily soared into the sky. I spread my arms, and felt James wrap his around me while the broom flew around the grounds. It was wonderful. I didn't know what to think. Insanity. Joy. Beauty. I twisted around and pressed my lips to James's.

"Thank you," I murmured as we continued to drift high above the world.

**A/N: Oh my Rowling! That took forever! So sorry for not updating, and for the fact that this chapter literally sucked Hippogriff dung. Reviews are much appreciated, and will always be replied to! I can PROMISE a MUCH more interesting chapter next time, I just needed a filler.**

** XOXO****ϟ ~LilyLunaEvans**


	15. Study Breaks and Future Thinking

**If I steal from J.K Rowling, I will be sued, because I do not own Harry Potter. If you steal from me, YOU will be sued, because you do not own my plot line.**

**MORAL: Platypuses are amazing.**

Alice crossed her arms and scowled at the Transfiguration book on the bed.

"I don't know how to change my entire head of hair into a different color!" she shrieked and threw the book off her bed.

"Al, relax," Marlene sighed and got up off her bed to go and retrieve the offending book.

"Marls! You're amazing at Transfiguration! I am awful! I can't relax!" Alice cried as she shoved her face into a pillow.

"Lil, do us all a favor and calm her down," Mary said as she rubbed her temples, and muttered theories and wand movements to herself.

"Alice," I sighed, coaxing her out of her pillow. "Come on, I'll show you how."

As I showed Alice how to turn her hair into an odd shade of green, Marlene pulled out her radio and tuned it to the popular music. The sound of Celestina Warbeck's voice filled the room.

"Study break!" Mary sing-songed as she hopped off her bed and ran down to the common room.

"Where in Merlin's name is she going? We have a Transfiguration test tomorrow!" I cried after Alice had successfully changed her hair back to dirty blonde.

"Well, guessing by the way she shrieked 'Study break!' and ran out the door, I'd say she was headed to the kitchens," Marlene said.

Sure enough, five minutes later, a winded Mary came back up the stairs to the dormitory, her hands full of food.

"So, Lily," she said, throwing down the food on my bed and sitting down. The other two joined us.

"So, Mary," I arched an eyebrow at her.

"We are all _dying _to know-"

"Wait-"

"If you and James are-"

"Hold on-"

"Going to get married?"

"What?" I looked at Mary and the other two who were sitting, staring at me.

"Well, it just seems, like you know, you two would. You love each other, it's apparent," Alice said, with unusual calmness.

"Well, to be honest, I haven't really thought about it," I said. "With the war going on, well I haven't thought much about anything. Except that when I get out of Hogwarts I want to be a part of the Order. But I just try to think about the present, not the future, not yet."

"Well, just so you know, we're your bridesmaids!" Marlene giggled before turning the music off. "Now come on, if I don't pass that test, Puddlemere United won't take me for Merlin knows why."

That night I slept in my old bed, between Marlene and Alice, and gazed out the window at the moon. It was full. I swear I heard a howl, a long howl, and an answering bark.

It's too painful to think about what the future might bring. It's so much easier to think in the present. If I think about what lies ahead, then I can't enjoy what I have now. Who knows how long I'll be alive? Maybe I'll live forever, or maybe I'll be killed tomorrow. Who's to say for sure? What if James and I do marry and start a family. Who's to say Voldemort won't kill us the second we leave the alter. But I don't want to imagine the real world. Right now, for the moment, I'm safe in my bubble. In Hogwarts. With James.

I slid out of the bed and pulled my dressing gown on over my shorts and t-shirt.

Quietly slipping out of my room, I tiptoed down to the common room. It was empty, unsurprisingly. But I didn't feel alone here. Not with all the sleeping bodies above me. I slowly creaked out of the portrait hole, and set off into the dark corridor.

The corridor was dark, with just the flickering light from a few torches to lead my way. I wasn't paying attention to wear I was going, just as long as I was away from the Gryffindor tower. I needed to be alone. Wandering the hallways, I turned my willow wand over in my fingers.

I had my head down and wasn't looking at wear I was going when I suddenly ran head on into somebody.

"Hey! Watch where you're-" I looked up and my eyes widened. "Professor Dumbledore sir! I'm sorry! Oh let me just go! I'm so sorry!"

"Miss Evans," Dumbledore chuckled. "It's no bother, please. Why don't we walk?" he offered his arm to me and I took it, not knowing how to refuse the headmaster. As we walked down the corridor he turned and looked down at me. "Miss Evans, may I ask what you were doing, wandering around the corridors at night? Not exactly the thing I'd expect the Head Girl to do."

"Oh, right," I muttered. "Well, I couldn't sleep. I'm in the Gryffindor dorm tonight, and I needed to be alone. I just decided to go for a walk."

"I see. Anything on your mind?"

"Well sir, I just don't want to think about the future."

"Well why not?"

"It terrifies me. I don't know who's going to be dead tomorrow. I don't know if my family will live through this or not."

"Well Miss Evans, may I suggest, that you just live in the moment, and not think about the future."

"Yes sir," I hadn't realized we were back at the Gryffindor tower until he gave me a pat on the shoulder.

"Now off to bed. I believe you have a rather important Transfiguration test tomorrow," he said with a twinkle in his eye.

I sighed and climbed back up the staircase to my old dorm. As much as I didn't want to admit it, I was tired.

I curled up in my old bed and reveled at how much I'd missed this dorm quickly before falling asleep.

**A/N: OoOoOoOo! I have an IDEA for the next chapter! So keep reading. I can PROMISE this one will be good! And to all my faithful readers, reviewers, favoriters, and alerters, you are ALL amazing! Those emails make me so happy you have no idea!**


	16. Marauder Fights and Group Hugs

**I really wish I owned Harry Potter…. Bud I don't.**

I climbed out of bed and ran a comb through my hair, my O on the Transfiguration still fresh in my head. We had all passed, so we had had a celebratory sleepover in their dorm. Heading down to the common room, I vaguely wondered where the others were, until I saw them clustered near the portrait hole, murmuring to each other.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"James and Sirius had a fight," Marlene said. That was all I needed. I raced out of the common room towards the Great Hall.

I flew down the stairs, skipping steps, and when it started to move, I jumped the last seven steps and skidded onto the ground. Regaining my balance I took off towards the Great Hall again. A couple of first years from Ravenclaw looked wide-eyed at me before darting out of the way.

"Lily?" one of them called after me.

I saw little Nymphadora Tonks, from Hufflepuff, with her bubblegum pink hair, standing in the doorway of the Great Hall, where a rather frightening scene was taking place inside. Skidding to a stop, I turned towards the small girl.

"What's happening?"

She opened her mouth but I didn't wait for an answer. I ignored my panting and ran into the Great Hall.

"YOU'RE AN ARSE SIRIUS BLACK!" James roared, brandishing his wand.

"I NEVER THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO GO LIKE THIS!" Sirius shouted back, looking scared.

"James! Sirius! What?" I ran in between the two before James could cast a spell.

"Lily get out of the way!" James yelled.

"Move Evans before you get hurt!" Sirius yelled.

Peter was standing off to the side, biting his nails, his watery blue eyes darting back and forth. Remus was standing next to him, tears pouring from his eyes.

Remus ran forward and yanked me out of the way, just as James shot a Stunning Spell at Sirius, who ducked as the spell hit a fourth year Hufflepuff. The boy fell forward, but one of his friends quickly revived him.

"HOW COULD YOU BE SO STUPID? YOU KNOW WHAT BLACK?"

"WHAT PRONGS? WHAT?"

"YOU'RE A TRAITOR PADFOOT! A TRAITOR! YOU BELONG IN SLYTHERIN!"

"Boys please!" Professor McGonagall cried. She had a hand on her heart and looked as if she were about to faint.

"WHAT COULD POSESS YOU TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT?"

"I WASN'T THINKING!"

"OBVIOUSLY!"

"POTTER! BLACK! STOP THIS IMMEDIATELY!"

I watched as Sirius and James glared at each other, and Professor McGonagall stood, powerless to stop it.

"Do something Remus!" I shrieked, as Alice, Mary, Marlene arrived in the hall.

"I can't Lily! There's nothing to do!"

"James!" I cried, running back in between the two boys. "James stop it!" I beat on his chest with my fists, and threw all my body weight against him, but he wouldn't budge.

"YOU'RE A MORON! AN ARSE! APOLOGIZE TO MOONY!"

"I HAVE! A MILLION TIMES!"

"WELL IT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH! YOU COULD'VE KILLED HIM!"

"I DIDN'T MEAN FOR IT TO HAPPEN!"

James glared once more at Sirius before turning and storming out of the hall, Peter scurrying after him. Remus bit his lip and glanced at Sirius before turning and walking quietly out of the hall and heading the opposite way from James and Peter. Sirius was now letting the tears roll down his cheeks freely, and I took cautious steps towards him. Nobody dared to speak. He ducked his head and just stood; silently letting the tears slide to the floor.

Everybody in the Great Hall was silent. The Marauders were brothers, this was never imagined. Everybody was speechless, nobody moved. I didn't think it was possible for them to fight. I took another step and placed my hand on his shoulder. I could feel his body shaking with sobs and I embraced him.

"It's okay Sirius," I murmured as he cried. "I'm going to go fix this. I promise." I let go of him and ran out of the Great Hall, until I found one of the Marauders.

It was Remus, sitting in an alcove behind a tapestry depicting Treclew the Terrifying's Siege of the Mermaid Fortress. He was wiping his eyes, but I could tell that he had been crying hard.

"Remus?"

"Lily!" he looked up, startled. "I-uh, um-"

"Remus, it's okay," I said, pulling him onto his feet and hugging him.

"I know, I just don't want them to fight," he whispered.

"Why are they fighting? What happened?"

"Sirius told Severus where to find me," he whispered. "But James saved him before I could hurt him."

"Oh no," I muttered, hugging him again. "You have the right to be mad at him!"

"I'm not though."

"Wait- what?" I was shocked.

"I'm not mad at either of them, they're just mad at each other, and Marauders don't fight."

"I understand," I said before running down the corridor to find James.

I found him where I thought he'd be, on the Quidditch pitch, with Peter sitting in the benches.

"James!" I called; he turned around and maneuvered his broom expertly to the ground. "James!"

"What is it Lily?" I saw that James too, had been crying.

"James, Remus isn't mad. You have to go make up! You are the Marauders for Merlin's sake!" I punched his arm.

"Ow," he muttered, rubbing the bruise my fist had made on his muscle. "Lils, this is different. I don't know if I can forgive this one."

"James for Merlin's sake!" Remus said, smiling as he walked out onto the pitch. "Just make up with Paddy already!"

James turned away. I heard a rustle near the locker rooms and turned to see Sirius walking out onto the pitch. As soon as he saw us, he stopped in his tracks.

"Oh," he said, starting to turn around. "Didn't know you'd be here."

"Oi! Padfoot!" James yelled. Sirius turned around and James broke into a huge grin. "Get over here you shaggy old dog!"

Sirius and James hugged, and I laughed, tears forming in my eyes.

"What's wrong Lilyflower?" Sirius grinned at me.

"You. Two. Are. Such. Morons!" I cried, punching the both of them and then proceeding to kiss both on the cheek.

"Well," James feigned mock hurt. "I love you too."

I grinned widely at James before Remus and Peter jumped on us. The four boys and I hugged together, just glad at them being friends.


	17. Secret Stores and Dark Magic

**I am not J.K Rowling… I am LilyLunaEvans. I do not own Harry Potter… I own the jar of peanut butter in my bedroom.**

"Sirius!" I swatted him playfully on the head as he bounded down the Main St. in Hogsmeade in his dog form. How he managed to change into it without anybody notice, I'll never know, but it was funny to watch him trip kids that were walking down the street.

"Oi! Padfoot! Get back here!" Peter yelled, running after him.

"You know," I said, brushing a piece of hair out of my eyes. "As Head Boy, it's your job to get a handle on your ridiculous friends."

"You know," James said, taking a hair tie off my wrist and pulling my red hair back into a ponytail. "As Head Girl, it's your job to help me get a handle on my ridiculous friends."

Remus was in the Hospital Wing; Madam Pomfrey had scolded him for walking around the day after the full-moon last month, so now he was on bed rest from last night.

"I can't believe it's April already," I said.

"I know. Our last year here is almost over."

I didn't want to think about the fact that this was my last year at Hogwarts.

"Lily!" A ball of energy in the form of Alice Fortescue crashed into me, pulling me out of James's grip and landing me on the floor with a small girl sitting on my back.

"Alice! Get off Lily!" Mary cried, pulling her off as Marlene helped me brush the dirt off my clothes.

"Merlin Alice!" I said, rubbing my back where she had landed. "What on earth was that about?"

"!" she shrieked, forcing the three of us to cover our ears. James had hurried off after Sirius; I figured I would catch up to him later.

"What Alice?" I said just to stop her from screaming and drawing all the attention to us.

"James said-" Marlene gasped and clapped her hand over Alice's mouth. I raised an eyebrow as Alice struggled to release the grip over her mouth, but Mary grabbed her arm and dragged her backwards.

"Sorry Lily!" she called as they headed back up towards the castle. I shook my head and kept walking down the street, looking for James.

"Oi! Evans!" I saw him, Peter, and Sirius walking out of a little store that I had never noticed before. I started over but James hurried towards me and spun me around, putting an arm around my waist. Sirius hurried up behind me and dropped an arm on my shoulder. Peter scurried over next to James.

"Where were you?" I asked, squirming, trying to twist out of his grip to see what store they were in.

"Shopping," Sirius grinned mischievously.

"Just getting Moony some of his favorite things," Peter said.

"Nothing to worry about," James pulled me closer to his side.

I gave up squirming and walked back to a castle. I was glad we had scheduled this Hogsmeade trip on a Friday after classes, so we could watch the match tomorrow.

~O-O~

"Eat something," I said, pushing a piece of toast into James's hands. "You need your strength. Why are you nervous anyway? You've done this a million times since second year. Just catch the Snitch."

"Because I know you're going to be watching," he grinned as he took a bite of the toast, a little more relaxed now.

"No really," I said, not fooling around.

"Because it's the first match of the season, and we need to pull ahead to win the cup," Sirius said through a mouthful of Merlin knows what. He had been watching me try to coax James into eating all morning while he himself shoveled mass amounts of food down his throat.

"I see," I said as the members of the Quidditch team stood up and started out of the hall. I got up and followed, chatting with Marlene on the way.

The sky was clear, and there wasn't much wind, but it was cold, and I could only be thankful I wouldn't be on a broom. As we stepped out onto the pitch I was met by a blast of cold air.

"Good luck!" I called as they headed to the locker rooms and I headed to the stands.

"Lily!" Alice waved to me as I climbed up to a top box. "Over here!"

I tied my Gryffindor scarf tighter around my neck and pulled gloves over my fingers and a hat to cover my curls. We were sitting, huddled together with a few other people, trying to stay warm.

I watched as the Gryffindors took the field, and the commentator, a Gryffindor sixth-year named Aaron Jordan, tapped on his microphone.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the first match of the after-winter season!" he called. The crowd clapped as Madam Weatherby released the Bludgers and the Snitch and held the Quaffle in her hand. The fourteen players, seven red, seven yellow, rose into the air on their brooms and zoomed after the Quaffle as it took to the air.

"And there goes McKinnon right away with the Quaffle! Mighty fine Chaser, responsible to sixty-two of the ninety-three goals scored by Gryffindor during the fall season! And she flies down the field, and there's Parkinson on her tail! He's gaining on her but she's almost to the hoop! She throws the Quaffle! And… IT'S IN!" The red and gold section of the crowd roared as Marlene zooms off towards the Quaffle again.

And so went the match with a couple good saves by Hufflepuff, and also, their chaser and Captain, Amos Diggory, managed to get a few goals past Sophia Morgan, a fourth year. Our Beaters, Gideon and Fabian, were on fire, hitting Bludger after Bludger at the opposing players. We were all waiting to see who would catch the Snitch when suddenly James plummeted downward, diving towards the ground. I caught the barest glimmer of gold before his hand closed around the Snitch and the crowd exploded.

As the players landed and spectators began to go back to their common rooms to spend the day relaxing I hurried out onto the Pitch, waving goodbye to Alice, who was headed off to see Frank, and Mary, who was going to the library.

"Fantastic James!" I cried, throwing my arms around his neck. "You were all amazing!"

The team gave me their thanks before hurrying off to shower. James gave me a peck on the cheek and I headed towards the library, aiming to pick up a book before heading back to relax with James.

As I walked down the empty corridor a scream rang off the walls. I ran forward and rounded the corners, to find four Slytherins with their backs to me.

"_Crucio!" _A girl with a mane of curly black hair called, pointing her wand at a victim. The other three boys stood by laughing.

"My turn," growled another voice, pointing his wand and torturing the girl (I had concluded the screams were feminine) again.

"_Expelliarmus!" _ I yelled, pointing my wand at the boys back. His wand flicked out of his wand and I snatched it out of the air. Mulciber whirled around, his eyes wide with surprise.

"Why look," Bellatrix Black snarled. "It's a little Mudblood, here to fight!"

I aimed my wand at Avery, and Sev, sending their wands flying into my hand. Bellatrix growled and whirled towards me again. We dueled, jets of red and purple and blue flying through the corridor, the others being hit by something or other once or twice. It was like a strange, evil, twisted ballet, the way we spun and ducked and leaped. Finally I sent her wand arcing through the air with a well-aimed Stunning spell.

"Go away!" I growled, throwing their wands at their feet. The boys all hurried off without one look back, but Bellatrix glared before storming towards the Slytherin common room. The girl on the floor didn't stir, and a pool of blood was forming around her. Her brown hair and Gryffindor robes were flared outwards, and I gasped as Mary moved her arm and fell still.

"No. No Mary. It will be okay, I promise!" I said. "HELP! SOMEBODY HELP! HELP PLEASE!"


	18. Studying and Tests of a Different Kind

**This time it's going to be straight and to the point. I don't own Harry Potter. There. Rip my heart out why don't you?**

**A/N: I left you with a bit of a cliffhanger last time! Hope you like this chapter!**

I held Alice close to me as the casket was lowered into the ground. We had been home at her parent's house for the Easter Holidays when her dad had offered to take us with him to Diagon Alley mission. The two Death Eaters had come from nowhere, and before we knew it, Mr. Fortescue was on the ground.

"Alice," I said, clutching her small form to my body. She seemed so vulnerable, and tiny as her tears ran down her cheeks. "It'll be alright, I promise."

"I know," she said, wiping away her tears as the guests began to Disapparate. We turned and headed a little ways away so we could Disapparate back to Hogsmeade. "I have you guys!"

"I love you, Al," I whispered in her ear as the Hogwarts Express pulled in and Marlene and Mary got off. Mary still looked pale, having just returned from St. Mungos. They embraced us and we headed off to find a carriage.

"AH!" I shrieked as we came to one of the carriages. "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?"

A skeletal, black, horse looking thing was standing at the front. Its white milky eyes stared without seeing, and its leathery skin was stretched over visible bones. There were wings on it's back, and it snorted, shaking them outwards. I placed a hand on its back and quickly recoiled. Its skin was cold, like it was dead.

"They're Thestrals," Xenophilius Lovegood came up and told me. "You can see them if you've seen death. Don't worry, you're just as sane as I am."

He walked the other way as I helped Alice onto the carriage. We rode up to the castle, and as we arrived, departed in the Great Hall.

I walked along the deserted corridor to the Head's tower, mulling the past week over in my mind. So much had happened; it seemed kind of impossible. I absentmindedly gave Delia the password and climbed the staircase. James was sitting on the couch, Quidditch Quarterly propped open on his lap. He turned towards me and his face lit up.

"Lily!" he stood up and hugged me close to him. "Oh love I'm so happy you're alright. That's awful about Mr. Fortescue. How is Alice doing?"

"James," I murmured into his chest. "Oh James it was awful!"

"It's okay love, it's okay," he swept me up and carried me up to my bedroom.

Gently removing my clothes, he tucked me under the covers and climbed in next to me.

"Lily love, it'll be okay, tomorrow is Sunday, we can stay in bed all day."

"I know," I smiled.

~O-O~

"James," I groaned, as he traced my jaw with feathery kisses.

"Yes love?" he whispered in my ear.

"James we really should be studying."

"But you and I both know that that's not what you really want to do."

I propped myself up on my elbows and leaned in close to him. As much as I was trying to study for N.E.W.T's in less than a month, he was making it incredibly difficult while we were sitting here in bed.

"Maybe you are right…"

"I told you."

"But that doesn't mean that I don't have to pass. And to pass, I need to study." I turned to grab my book but he caught my tiny wrists in his hand.

"Lily."

"James."

He quickly pulled the covers over us and well…

"Now can we study?" I murmured in his ear.

"Now we can study." He sighed, cuddling my closer to him.

"I love you."

"I love you."

I propped open my History of Magic book and let the millions of Goblin Rebellions swirl through my mind.

"Why are you even taking that class? What job requires it?" James asked, looping his arm over my waist and settling his chin on my shoulder.

"I don't know," I sighed. "I took it because I passed the O.W.L. So now I just have to pass the N.E.W.T."

"I can't believe they're in less than a month. And by the way, I'm going out with the guys tonight."

"Alright," I smiled. "But please come back in one piece this time! I don't want to have to heal you three idiots again!"

"That wasn't our fault!" James grinned. "That tree came out of _nowhere._"

"I'm so sure," I said sarcastically. "But still, don't do anything stupid! Maybe you all could just stay in the Shack for one night…"

"We'll consider it love," he whispered into my ear.

Soon James left to go be with the boys, and I was left to myself. I went up to his bedroom and curled up in the blanket that smelled just like him, before falling quickly asleep.

~O-O~

I woke up the next morning to a queasy stomach; I rushed to the bathroom, where I threw up.

"Shit," I mumbled as I waved my wand to clean everything up. The wave of nausea didn't come again, and I let myself go down to breakfast when I felt it again. I hurried to the girl's lavatory to throw up again.

"Lily?" I hear Marlene call. "Lily are you alright?"

"Yeah," I said, coming out of the stall. "It's just, I've been sick twice this morning."

Maybe I needed to hear my own self say it, but something hit me. Sick this _morning. _When I smelled certain foods.

"Marls…" I said.

"What's up Lil?"

"Do you think you could sneak into Hogsmeade and get me one of the pregnancy tests from the Apothecary?"

"Lily," Marlene's eyes widened. "Are you sure?"

"No, but I think so. And even if I was, there's only three weeks left of term, I think I can hide it for that long. I'll tell James… well sometime."

"I'll be back!" Marlene said, already hurrying in the direction of one of the Marauder's secret passages.

I sat down in the bathroom, trying to calm myself. If I really was pregnant, well it really wouldn't be that bad. I was sure that I could hide something like that for three weeks, and maybe I wasn't pregnant at all!

It was nearly two hours when Marlene finally came back with the potion. By now I had missed lunch, but I really had no desire to go back down to the Great Hall. Really, I was quite content hiding in the girls' bathroom.

"Marlene!" I cried when she came back in, panting. "What in Merlin's name happened to you? You were gone ages!"

"Well," she grinned sheepishly. "Funny enough, the Apothecary owner wanted to know why I was buying a pregnancy test in Hogsmeade when it's not a weekend. And then I almost got caught by Hagrid who was down there too, and then when I was sneaking back in I ran into the Marauders-"

I gasped, if they knew, well I was screwed.

"- and they wanted to know why I was sneaking out. And then by the time I got back here I stopped to grab a sandwich, and now I'm here."

"Wow, well thanks," I said, taking the potion from her and reading the label. I followed the directions, opening the flask of green potion and having Marlene prick a drop of blood from my finger and letting it fall into the flask.

For a moment as we watched the tiny drop of red fall into the green it seemed as if nothing had happened. And then, before our eyes, the potion changed to purple. I smiled, but started to cry at the same time. There was a baby in my stomach.

"What?" Marlene asked, hugging me. "Are you happy or sad?"

"Both!" I cried.

"Well, why are you sad?"

"Because I have to pick between three amazing girls for a godmother!"

**A/N: Sorry for the sucky chapter! Reviews are appreciated!**


	19. Owl Orders and Physical Pain

**I sincerely hope that all of your reading this are smart enough to know that I'm not J.K. Rowling and I don't own Harry Potter.**

I stroked Aretemis's silver feathers and untied the package that was tied around her ankle. The Owlery was full of rustling feathers, and she nibbled lightly on my ear as I gave her an owl treat before taking flight to go sleep in the high rafters.

After a week of more morning sickness and with the N.E.W.T's drawing nearer (two weeks left!) I decided it would probably be a good idea to get some help with the whole pregnancy hurtle. I wrote to two of my friends who had left Hogwarts already, Hestia Jones and Molly Prewitt (Now Weasley), asking them for anything to help me with being pregnant. They had responded almost immediately, packing books and magazines all up in a neat paper parcel and sending Artemis back, along with their congratulations.

I left the Owlery and started to walk back towards the girl's dorm when somebody grabbed my shoulder and whirled me around.

"What the hell?" I cried, but I closed my mouth and narrowed my eyes in a glare as soon as I saw who it is.

"Lily we need to talk," Severus said.

"I've done more talking than I want to with you," I said, trying to yank my arm away, but he held fast.

"Lily listen," he said in a low growl. He was beginning to scare me, and the grip on my arm was starting to hurt, I could practically feel the hand shaped bruise that would be there tomorrow morning.

"Let go!" I took my foot and kicked his shin, but he seemed unfazed.

I felt his other fist make contact with my stomach, and I only hope that my little tiny child in there isn't hurt. His hand was gripping tighter to my wrist, and I felt him punch me again, this time right below my right breast. There are going to be bruises all over me tomorrow morning, I can feel it. He hits me more, but I can't remember where. I'll know tomorrow morning when it hurts again. When he was panting and it seemed like he couldn't possibly hit me again, I looked him in the eye.

"Severus, we've made our decisions. Now why don't you run off and go play with your Death Eater friends."

He glared at me before reaching up a hand and slapping me across the face. The force of his hit made my whip to the side, my red hair flying, and fall to the ground. The parcel dropped from my hands and the paper split, scattering the books and magazines on the floor. I hurried, trying to pick them up, but Severus snatched one up.

He looked at the cover and dropped it in shock.

"Lily!" he grabbed my hair and I yelped as he pulled me upwards.

"STOP IT!" I screeched as he gripped my wrists and pinned me against the wall.

"Lily I can't believe you! You're- you're pregnant with _his _child! I didn't think you would ever-! But I guess there's a lot I don't know about you."

"I swear to Merlin Severus if you tell anyone…"

"Scared to have Potter's kid?"

"No. I'm quite happy. But I'm not ready for everybody to know. So just, don't. Don't. Say. Anything."

"Like I would anyway," he spat. He shoved me against the wall and threw the remaining book that I hadn't picked up at my stomach.

Clutching them to my chest, I let the tears fall down my cheeks. I don't cry a lot, but it hurt, where he hit me. And it hurt to know that he didn't accept me. And it hurt that he wasn't happy that I was happy. I sat and cried for a while, I don't know how long, but I was thankful that everybody was still asleep. Except for one person.

"Lily?" a kind voice said.

I forced my eyes open and saw Remus's face in front of my blurred vision, eyes filled with worry and concern.

"Lily what's wrong?"

I didn't answer, but I closed my eyes again. It didn't register that it was sweet Remus looking at me, and I was afraid he would hit me.

"Lily I'm not going to hurt you, just tell me what happened."

"Coming back from Owlery," I winced as I tried to sit up straighter and my head began to pound. "Sev came out of nowhere, hit me, and saw the books. He hates me. More than he did."

"Come on Lily, I'll take you to Madam Pomfrey."

"No! Remus- the Head's Tower?"

"Alright," he peeled back my arm but let go quickly when I hissed in surprise and pain. "Merlin," he whispered at the sight of my already purple bruises running up my arms and legs and face.

As I started to stand, he offered me his arm and I dropped one of the books. He leaned down and grabbed it, before slowly looking at me.

"Lily-" he started, eyes wide. "Are you pregnant with James's baby?"

"Yes," I slowly nodded, afraid at how he would react.

"Oh congratulations!" he smiled, and he went to hug me, but seemed to think better of it.

"Thank you Remus," I smiled back at him, and leaned into him for support as we made our way to the Tower. He slipped the books in my bag as I started to fall and carried me up the spiral staircase.

We made it to the Head's common room where James was sitting in front of the fire, _Advanced Potion Making _propped open in front of him and a scroll of parchment with an abandoned inkwell and quill left on the table.

He glanced up and dropped the Snitch he was playing with, allowing it to buzz slowly around the room.

"Merlin! Lily! What the hell? Remus! What?" he stammered before jumping up and helping Remus. I yelped in pain as soon as he touched my bruises.

"I found her like this, she was, er- coming back from the Owlery," Remus looked at me and seemed to know that I didn't want James to know yet. I thanked him silently.

"Thank you, Remus, from the both of us," James said, already picking me up and starting to carry me upstairs where he could heal me. Remus nodded and turned to go back to the room. "Would the girls and Marauders meet us here in a few hours for a little seventh-year time?"

Remus nodded again before leaving. James settled me down on his bed and rolled my sleeve up, revealing the bruises. He gasped and his eyes darkened. He took my school robes off and looked at the bruises on my leg.

"Are there more," he said in a low voice.

I slowly nodded and pulled my shirt over my head. He clenched his fists, and I knew he was upset about this.

He turned and went to his wardrobe, rummaging through his trunk until he came back with a small amount of Dittany. He gently applied it to the bruises and cuts, and I watched as they slowly faded. The pain was still there, but it wasn't as bad, and my arms and stomach and legs still had purple marks on them, just not as prominent. I slowly let a tear fall down my cheek and James took me in his arms, paying special care not to press down on any of the bruises too hard.

"Who did this?"

I didn't say anything, but stayed with my head tucked in his arms.

"_Who did this?_" he repeated with more force.

I knew James would never hurt me, not for as long as we lived, but he would hurt Severus. I didn't quite understand why I didn't want James to hurt him, but it was time to let go. I had chosen my side, he had chosen his. I looked him directly in the eye, and mumbled one word:

"Sev."


	20. Revenge and Mirrors

**Merlin… really by now all of you should be smart enough to realize that I don't own Harry Potter…**

I saw James clench his fist as soon as the name left my mouth, and I almost regretted saying it. But then I remembered the little baby in my stomach and shut my mouth, letting the tears roll down my face.

James was fuming. He was even more furious then when he had fought with Sirius, and the time when Sev had kissed me. He whirled around and stormed to the common room, just as all the Gryffindor seventh years came in. I came down after him, and the girls' eyes widened, while Sirius and Peter's darkened. Remus just glanced from me and to James, and seemed to understand what had happened.

"What the hell happened?" Sirius shouted.

"Snivellus went and hit her! That's what happened!" James roared.

Instantaneously Sirius went from upset to legit angry. Remus and Peter followed James and Sirius as they ran out the door and we, the girls, followed them.

"James!" I cried, but it was no use. He kept running, looking for Severus.

"The Map!" Remus panted, as they came to a stop.

Sirius pulled out a bit of old parchment, and tapped his wand on it, muttering a few words.

_Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs_

_Purveyors of Aid to Magical Mischief Makers_

_Are Proud to Present_

_THE MARAUDER'S MAP_

Red ink lines spread outward, mapping out the castle. Labeled dots appeared at various points, and the Marauders quickly conversed, searching for Severus.

"There!" Peter cried; pointing at a dot labeled _Severus Snape_.

I sighed as they hurried down a hallway. Severus was in for quite a shock, and I was kind of scared that they would murder him.

"James! Stop!" I cried, hoping he wouldn't kill him.

But it was too late. They had found Severus, who was sitting alone at the end of the corridor, nose in a book. He glanced up at the sound of James storming towards him, and his eyes widened.

"How dare you?" James snarled, hoisting Sev off his feet and pinning him to the wall. "How dare you hit her?" his fist collided with Sev's stomach, knocking the wind out of him.

"You're a git, Snivellus," Sirius said in a low growl. "A right foul git!" He threw his fist against his arm.

Severus groaned as James continued to hit and kick him with all his might, with a few punches from Sirius in there too. Remus pulled me to him and I let my sobs take over my body, as he tried to calm me down. Marlene put a calming hand on my back, and the other girls came close, while Peter stood his distance. I'm not sure how long they went on, hitting Severus, but by the time they had finished he had bruises on his face and arms and legs. James glared at him with a look of pure loathing on his face as he lay there, motionless, a trickle of blood coming from his nose. I let tears fall down my cheeks, as I glanced at the purplish and yellow bruises on my arms.

"James," I croaked out hoarsely. He was still glaring at Sev, but I slowly disentangled myself from Remus and Marlene and stumbled towards him. He turned around and caught me in his arms just as I fell.

"Love, I'm sorry," he murmured into my hair. We all headed back to the common room and collapsed in chairs, pulling out books and essays, and finishing our homework in the quiet of the Head's tower.

Well, the relative quiet. Like, as quiet as you could get when all four Marauders plus Alice Fortescue were in a room.

"Sirius Black!" Alice shrieked as Sirius cackled like a madman. He had somehow managed to get a hold of her Transfiguration book and was now sitting on one of the rafters. How he got up there, I'm not sure, but oh well.

"Yes Alice bear?" he jumped down from the twenty foot in the air rafter, and landed softly on an invisible cushion that he had conjured with his wand.

She rolled her eyes and snatched her book back from him, huffily sitting back down in her chair and asking Remus to show her how to change a pigeon into a parrot.

As the pigeon that Alice had gotten hold of turned into a brilliantly colored red bird it dawned on me that our Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests were in two weeks. And then we would graduate, hopefully at least, and then we would be out in the world, thrown to the war.

Alice was going to be an Auror with Frank, while Puddlemere United had recruited Marlene. She was also going to be a part of the Order of the Phoenix with James, Sirius, Alice, Frank, well all of us. I was going to be a Healer apart from my Order duties, and James an Auror with Sirius. Remus didn't quite know yet, it would be hard for him to find work due to his lycanthropy issue. It was strange, to think that soon we would be on our own, nobody to turn to, but it had to be done.

I stopped myself from thinking about the future, and turned back to the present. I was here, now, at Hogwarts, with my best friends, my boy friend and my secret unborn child.

I continued to write my History of Magic essay on the reasons why the Goblin Rebellion of 127 against Arasot the Arsonist was pointless. For about five minutes we were all silent except for the noise of quills scratching against paper.

"Prongs!" Sirius exclaimed.

"Padfoot!" James said.

"I just remembered-"

"Pray tell, WHAT have you remembered?" Remus said exasperatedly.

"Do you remember in our first year, when we were young and innocent-"

"You were most certainly NOT young and innocent!" I scoffed. "You were given detention thirty-six times that year and lost Gryffindor fifty points that one time when you were _caught _wandering the corridors after curfew." I put special emphasis on 'caught'; we all knew that wasn't the only time.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Yeah whatever, that thought aside. Do you remember when we came across that mirror? The Mirror of Erised?"

"Yeah…" James was raising an eyebrow at Sirius, who was grinning broadly.

"Well you said that you saw yourself with Lily, holding hands!"

"Yeah… I guess I did!"

Sirius grinned triumphantly at himself for remembering such an event before declaring he was hungry. We headed down to the Great Hall for dinner, and split our separate ways afterwards.

James and I headed back towards the Head's tower, but when he got there he told me to wait outside while he ran and got something. James reemerged with a silvery cloak in his hands. I ran my fingers over the supple fabric, light as air, smooth as water, and looked up at him, wide eyed.

"Is that-"

"Yes," he stopped me with a kiss before I could even say anything.

He threw the cloak over us, and led me down a series of twists and turns, every now and then stopping to consult the Marauders Map. He finally stopped outside a door to a classroom that I never knew was there, and we stepped inside.

In the room was a single object. A mirror, framed in gold that stood in the center of the room. There was an inscription across the top, and I walked forward, slowly as if in a dream, to look at it.

_Erised Stra Ehru Oyt Ube Cafru Oyt On Woshi_

I gazed into the Mirror of Erised, James standing next to me, holding my hand, and I saw what I wanted more than anything else in the world.

I stood in the Mirror not in my robes, but in a white gown, and James stood next to me in handsome black robes, holding my hand, which had a glittering ring on it. Behind us stood the Marauders and the girls, and behind them my smiling and waving family. And smiling broadest of all was Petunia, who had a tear sliding down her cheek.

James threw the cloak back over us, and I looked at Tuney once more before turning and going back to the Tower. I pulled on pajamas and curled up in my bed with James, snuggling into his warm, muscular, arms.


	21. Studying and NEWT's

** gets bloody old, telling you lot that I don't own Harry Potter for 21 chapters straight PLUS my other 20 some chapters/stories on my profile. *****Hint* *Hint* *Wink* *Wink***

"Remus?" I called into the Gryffindor common room, looking for the teenage werewolf. "Hey Al! Have you seen Remus?"

Alice looked up at me, and her eyes brightened. "No! But I bet he's in the library. Our N.E.W.T's are in a week, he's cramming last I knew of."

"Go figure," I muttered. We were supposed to meet up to go study, but he had already gone down. "See you Al!"

I hurried down to the library, where sure enough, the majority of the Seventh, and Fifth-years were scattered throughout the stacks. Remus was tucked back in a corner, his nose in a book.

"Remus," I whispered, sitting down and handing him a piece of toast from the Great Hall. "We were supposed to meet to study! And you've missed breakfast."

"Yeah I forgot," he said. "I've been studying since five this morning."

"Remus, it'll be alright."

"Merlin I dunno Lils," he looked up at me worriedly. "I dunno if I'll be able to get a job, or what will happen."

"Remus," I reached across the table and took his scarred hand into my two tiny ones. "Everything. Will. Be. Fine."

He smiled. "Thanks Lily."

I just smiled back and pulled out my Defense Against the Dark Arts book, before sticking my nose in it. It was nearly time for lunch when I finally stood up and slammed both our books shut.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, a look of indignation plastered across his face.

"Remus, we are going to lunch, and then we are going to study outside with the others," I said, taking his stack of books and shoving them in his bag before hoisting it on my shoulder and marching out of the library, the indignant defiant werewolf following my wake.

"Lilykins!" Sirius sang, scooting up the bench and wrapping his arms around my neck. Remus took a seat across from me next to Alice and Marlene, and James was sitting next to me.

I slipped my tiny hand into his large one. It was calloused from holding the handle of a broomstick, and from catching Snitch after Snitch. I let it's warmth spread up my arm. Our hands fit perfectly together; it was like they were made for each other. It seemed ridiculous that I hadn't realized that I loved him before this year.

I twisted towards him, and tried to reach up to kiss him, but it was proving a difficult task, due to the slight problem that Sirius still had his arms wrapped around my neck.

James chuckled as I stretched and tried to move up, but Sirius was a lot bigger and stronger than I. Finally taking pity on me he swooped down and pecked me swiftly on the lips.

I arched my eyebrow high into my red hair, as Sirius hadn't yet let go of my shoulders.

"Uh…" I looked around at the table. "Sirius?"

"Yes Lilykins?" he said.

"D'you think you could let go?"

"What?"

"Sirius, your arms are around my girlfriends neck," James laughed.

Sirius grinned a puppyish grin and let go of my neck. "Sorry Prongsiepie, but I wanted to give her a hug."

I rolled my eyes at their childish antics and loaded my plate with food. If the N.E.W.T's were in a then that meant I would go off food in a few days.

"Hey Lily," Remus said, eying the plate of food in front of me. "Don't you think you should be eating healthier? Y'know, being preOW!"

I had given him a hard kick in the shin underneath the table when he had almost said I was pregnant. It seemed that he had forgotten that that was supposed to be a secret.

The others raised their eyebrows at us, but ignored it. As Remus and I got up to go to the library to get a few more books before going outside, I raised my eyebrows at him.

"Merlin, talk about a close call!" I said.

~O-O~

The sound of scratching quills filled the entire Great Hall when June 24th came round. We were sitting in alphabetical order by last name, and our History of Magic essays were all placed in front of us.

The Professors had been right when they said that the N.E.W.T's would be advanced. The practical Potions exam we had to make an antidote to a poison within and hour and a half, and the Defense practical we had to produce a corporeal Patronus. I remembered James and my first kiss and the silver doe burst forward to tumultuous applause from the wispy little examiner. He nearly fell backwards as it galloped around the hall.

But now was the last exam. The final essay. I added my last few words with a flourish and glanced around the hall. Most people were finished, grinning to one another as they realized that they had just finished their last Hogwarts exam ever. Sev was still cramming words onto his paper, and Remus was bent over writing to the very edge. James and Sirius were leaning back on their chairs, somehow managing to pass notes to each other.

James turned and caught my eyes, blowing me a kiss. I smiled hugely and tapped Alice's leg right behind me. I felt her tap my foot and I grinned to myself. Since we were always by each other when in alphabetical order we had made up the signal to tell if the other was done with her test. We waited while the elaborate hourglass ticked away the final minutes until the end of exams.

At last the young woman stepped up to the table as the final grains of sand trickled to the bottom. With a wave of her wand our scrolls of parchment soared into a basket.

"You are free to go," she said, but an almighty cheer from the seventh-years drowned her voice. We stampeded towards the door to go and enjoy the nice weather.

The sun was shining and the Giant Squid was floating lazily on top of the lake as the Marauders, the girls, and I made a beeline for our favorite tree. We threw our things down and collapsed on the ground, spreading out in the warm sunshine.

"I can't believe it," Sirius grinned.

"Our exams are done!" Alice shrieked.

"And there's only a week until they give us our results!" Marlene grinned.

"And Gryffindor won the house cup for a seventh year in a row," Peter grinned.

"And there's no more studying to do," Remus sighed contentedly.

"And no more exams for a while," Mary smiled, flopping down on the ground.

"And I have the best boyfriend in the world," I said, intertwining my hand with James's.

"And I have a question to ask," he said sitting up.


	22. Happy Endings and New Beginnings

**Now, I know what you're thinking. "Hey! Maybe this LilyLunaEvans chick owns Harry Potter now!" But sadly, you are incredibly mistaken. Coz I don't.**

James had been playing with a Snitch while we were sitting beneath the tree, letting it fly away and then catching it again. As he sat up, I raised an eyebrow, wondering what he was up to this time. He opened his hand and the Snitch flew around his head quickly, before landing gently in my open palm, it's silver wings slowing.

I saw Sirius grinning, and Remus was beaming. Peter was smiling, but the girls and I were just plain confused. James plucked the Snitch out of my hand and pressed it to his lips.

I remembered the first Quidditch match that he had ever played in.

_Flashback_

_ The girls and I hurried down onto the Quidditch pitch. It was the first match of our second year, and Gryffindor was expected to do well. I was ranting about that arrogant toe-rag Potter, who had just asked me out for the umpteenth time this week._

_ I watched as the team stepped out onto the field, Potter coming out last, his broom clutched tightly in his hand. He didn't look nervous at all. He glanced up and found me in the stands, winked and blew me a kiss before mounting his broom. The other girls giggled but I rolled my eyes and scowled. When would that arrogant prat understand that I wouldn't go out for him for all the Galleons in the world?_

_ The players zoomed around, throwing, catching, scoring, with loud cheers from both Gryffindor and Slytherin supporters. Then suddenly the crowd let out a collective gasp. James was speeding towards the ground his hand stretched out in front of him. He pulled his broom up so he was horizontal and leaned forward. He swiped at the tiny gold ball, but missed, and tumbled head first off the broom. The Gryffindor supporters groaned, but James shook his head, grinning. He spit something into his hand and held the Snitch high into the air, so everybody could see it. The crowd exploded at his fantastic catch._

_End Flashback_

The Snitch opened with a pop, and I gasped when I saw what was inside the hollow little golden ball.

A silver ring was inside and I felt tears prickle in my eyes as James descended to one knee and took my left hand in his right hand.

"Lily Margaret Evans," he smiled up at me, while a crowd was beginning to gather. "Would you do me the great honor of becoming Lily Margaret Evans Potter?"

I opened my mouth to respond, but I couldn't form words. So instead I nodded. All the seventh-years burst into cheers as James slipped the ring onto my finger. It was silver with an emerald to match my eyes. Engraved on the ring was "Forever Yours L&J" He slid it easily onto my left ring finger, and I let the tears flow.

"Lily! Why are you crying?" Marlene said, through her huge smile.

"Because I'm so happy!" I sobbed, breaking out into a grin.

James swept me up bridal style and spun me around in a circle. The crowd cheered and hurried forward to wish us congratulations. I smile at the surrounding people and show them my ring, but apart from the crowd, I see somebody sitting under a tree. He catches my green eyes for a moment with his black ones, and silently shakes his head before looking away. But not before I caught the shimmer of a tear falling down his cheek.

I don't want to let him ruin my moment, so I turned around and spun into James's arms. Nothing could change my feelings, I was marrying my love, I was confident about my N.E.W.T scores, and everything was right.

After all the admirers had left and wished us well, except for the little Marauders fan club that basically sobbed their eyes out over the fact that James was getting married and somewhat glared at me, we collapsed back down onto the grass. I was sitting in James's lap, and the others were spread out all around us. I sat up abruptly, and everybody turned to look at me.

"What is it Lilyflower?" Sirius asked.

I caught Remus and Marlene's eyes quickly before taking a deep breath.

"Well," I said, twiddling my thumbs. "I have a surprise too."

"C'mon, tell us love," James said, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm pregnant."

The result was instantaneous. Alice shrieked, Mary squealed in delight, Sirius grinned, clapping James on the back, and Peter hugged me. Marlene and Remus blushed as the others turned to them.

"Did you know?" James asked. Both nodded.

Everybody congratulated us, and I turned to them.

"What now?" I said. "I mean we're going out into the war, and we don't know what's happening next. Voldemort's in power, and it's our turn to fight."

"What's coming is coming," said Remus. "And we'll meet it when it does."

I smiled, tears starting to leak out of my eyes. We all hugged and spent the rest of the day relaxing on the grounds.

~O-O~

As the Hogwarts Express pulled out of Hogsmeade station I watched the castle grow smaller and smaller. Hogwarts was my home, and I couldn't believe that I was leaving. I wiggled my fingers, gazing at the ring, and I felt James's hand on my stomach. As the train picked up speed the castle vanished behind a mountain, and I turned back to the others in the compartment. We all grinned at each other. Everybody, even Peter, had passed their N.E.W.T's. And now we were headed off into the world.

"I'll miss Hogwarts," I said, and was greeted by grins and nods.

"Who wants to play a game of Exploding Snap?" Sirius yelled, pulling out a deck. We spent the remainder of the train ride having our eyebrows singed off and laughing about our crazy, hectic, strange, seventh year.

I'm Lily Margaret Evans Potter. Witch. Gryffindor. Head Girl. And this, was my crazy, jam-packed, love-struck, emotional, and amazing seventh year. And you know what? It was pretty much the best Seventh Year anybody could ever ask for.

**READ THIS IT CONTAINS DEDICATIONS AND IMPORTANT NOTICES!**

**Oh. My. Merlin. I just finished my very first fanfiction! I would really like to thank and dedicate this story to Fredweasleylives (my cousin), three of my faithful readers, Anon32, Nymphadora Andromeda Lupin, and pielover28. I would also like to thank Stephanie and Isabelle for being amazing girls and supporting my 13 year old self through this story.**

**But most of all, I want to thank every one of you who stuck with this crazy hectic love-struck Seventh Year to the very end.**

**I'm not sure about a sequel, I want to finish my two other stories first, but I encourage you all to go to my profile and read my stories!**

**Once again thank you everybody for reading this, and I'm so sad to be ending it! I hope that I will have as many crazy awesome fans for my other stories as you guys! **

**~LilyLunaEvans**


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